The governorship candidate of the APC, Senator Monday Okpebholo, was declared the winner of the highly contested election on Sunday. With the Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Faruq Adamu Kuta, the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, announcing Okpebholo’s victory at the INEC collation centre in Benin City, Edo State’s capital, the stage was set for a political clash of titanic proportions. Okpebholo secured 291,667 votes, emerging victorious in 10 out of the 18 local government areas (LGAs), while his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the PDP, garnered 247,274 votes, winning in eight LGAs. Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata trailed behind with 22,761 votes, marking a distant third place.
A Contentious Election: Seeds of Political Division
With Okpebholo succeeding the incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki, who is set to vacate the Osadebe House on November 11 after completing two terms, the APC was poised to reassert its political dominance in Edo State—a state previously held by the PDP. However, rather than a smooth transition, the PDP’s fierce rejection of the election results has escalated the situation into a major political controversy.
The PDP, led by its acting National Chairman Umar Damagum, denounced the poll outcome, alleging widespread electoral malpractice and calling for an immediate review by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). In a passionate press conference held in Abuja, Damagum urged Nigerians to reject the announced results, vowing that the PDP would head to court to reclaim what it termed as its “stolen mandate.”
APC’s Counterattack: A Dismissal of the Opposition’s Claims
Unsurprisingly, the APC swiftly retaliated against the PDP’s accusations, with National Publicity Director Bala Ibrahim delivering a stinging rebuke in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH. Ibrahim derisively dismissed the PDP’s claims of electoral fraud, suggesting that their decision to contest the election in court was both futile and desperate. “They have a right to go to court and we will encourage them to do it so we can finish them finally,” Ibrahim declared, underscoring the APC’s confidence in the legality and legitimacy of the electoral process.
Ibrahim further belittled the PDP’s protestations, emphasising that the opposition had been boasting about widespread public support in the lead-up to the election—support which, according to him, ultimately failed them. “The same way the evidence they claim to have in going to court will fail them,” Ibrahim added, in a thinly veiled threat that the PDP’s legal challenge would backfire spectacularly.
At the state level, Peter Uwadiae-Igbinigie, the Edo State Publicity Secretary of the APC, also weighed in, daring the PDP to present evidence of any electoral malpractice, including over-voting or INEC collusion, to substantiate their claims. “If you lose an election, you should be bold enough to say ‘yes.’ The spirit of sportsmanship is lacking in PDP,” he remarked scornfully, drawing a stark contrast between the PDP and former President Goodluck Jonathan, who had famously conceded defeat after the 2015 presidential election in a historic gesture of political sportsmanship.
Vote-Buying Allegations: Who’s Really to Blame?
However, while the APC vehemently denies accusations of vote-rigging, allegations of vote-buying have cast a dark shadow over the election. Olumide Akpata, the Labour Party’s candidate, raised alarms over both the APC and PDP’s alleged involvement in vote-buying, claiming that the election became a race to see which party could offer more financial incentives to sway voters. The head of the Edo State APC campaign council’s publicity arm, Orobosa Omo-Ojo, refuted these allegations, claiming that APC’s victory was built on a solid grassroots campaign strategy and not the result of financial inducements.
“What happened is that the LP could not match PDP in the area of vote-buying,” Omo-Ojo contended. He went on to argue that the PDP had engaged in vote-buying on an unprecedented scale, but the electorate, fed up with years of poor governance, took the money and still voted their conscience.
The irony of these allegations is not lost on political analysts. The PDP, once at the helm of Edo’s political landscape, now finds itself accusing the APC of the very electoral misconduct it was once accused of when it held power. The APC, in turn, portrays itself as the victim of PDP’s political machinations—a narrative that is bolstered by the party’s claim that it had insufficient resources to engage in the kind of large-scale vote-buying that characterised previous elections.
A Perfect Election? The APC’s Unshakeable Confidence
In the face of the PDP’s electoral challenge, the APC has gone to great lengths to defend the integrity of the Edo governorship poll, with party leaders repeatedly describing it as the “freest” election conducted by INEC in the Fourth Republic. Uwadiae-Igbinigie pointed out that the election was largely peaceful, with no reported incidents of ballot box snatching or violence, and voting commenced on time despite early morning rain.
“They never thought we would win Oredo, Egor, and put up a good show in Ikpoba Okha,” Uwadiae-Igbinigie triumphantly noted, citing key PDP strongholds that the APC managed to secure. The APC framed its victory as a triumph of the people’s will, a repudiation of the PDP’s alleged culture of unfulfilled promises and mismanagement under Governor Obaseki.
Electoral Violence and Arrests: A Troubling Underbelly
Beneath the veneer of the APC’s confidence, however, lurks the darker reality of electoral misconduct. The Nigeria Police Force, led by Deputy Inspector General Frank Mba, confirmed that six individuals were arrested on election day in connection with stolen or illegally acquired BIVAS (Bimodal Voter Accreditation System) machines, as well as weapons and 58 unlawfully possessed voter cards.
While Mba assured the public that the police had initiated post-election patrols and heightened security measures, including protecting critical assets such as INEC facilities, the arrests have raised questions about the true extent of electoral irregularities that took place during the election.
Civil Society’s Verdict: A Flawed Democratic Process
For many civil society organisations and election observers, the Edo election was far from perfect. Reports of widespread vote-buying, particularly by the PDP, marred what could have been a model democratic exercise. According to some observers, voters were reportedly paid as much as N10,000 to cast their ballots for a specific candidate, leading to accusations that both major parties were guilty of financial manipulation.
Dr. Yunusa Tanko, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, which is aligned with the Labour Party, condemned INEC’s handling of the election as deeply flawed, arguing that the results did not reflect the will of the people. Tanko called for immediate electoral reforms, including the establishment of a truly independent electoral commission, transparent campaign financing, and stricter enforcement of electoral laws to ensure that Nigeria’s democratic institutions are not further undermined by political corruption.
Legal Experts: A Divided Response to Electoral Offences Commission
The fallout from the Edo election has reignited calls for the creation of an electoral offences commission, tasked with prosecuting election offenders and ensuring that those who manipulate the democratic process are held accountable. Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong advocated for the establishment of such a commission, arguing that INEC’s complicity in electoral corruption disqualifies it from effectively prosecuting election-related offences.
However, not everyone is convinced that a new commission is the solution. Clifford Thomas, President of the Informal Sector Alliance, contended that merely punishing electoral offenders without addressing the root cause—politicians’ financial inducement of voters—would not be enough to curb the growing tide of electoral fraud.
A Path Forward: Electoral Reform or Endless Controversy?
As Nigeria gears up for the next wave of elections, the Edo State governorship poll has served as a reminder of the significant challenges that still plague the country’s electoral system. While the APC celebrates its victory and the PDP gears up for a court battle, the real losers may be the Nigerian people, whose faith in the democratic process continues to erode amid widespread allegations of vote-buying, electoral fraud, and political manipulation.
In the final analysis, it remains to be seen whether the courts will uphold the election results or side with the PDP’s claims of electoral misconduct. But one thing is certain: the battle for Edo State is far from over, and its outcome could have far-reaching implications for the future of Nigerian democracy.