The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Monday Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, as the winner of the Edo State governorship election held on Saturday.
INEC announced that Okpebholo secured 291,667 votes, based on the results from all 18 local government areas (LGAs). His closest contender, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), garnered 247,655 votes, while Labour Party (LP) candidate, Olumide Akpata, finished in third place with 22,763 votes.
The declaration comes a few hours after a coalition of accredited civil society organizations monitoring the election expressed concerns about the transparency of the ongoing results collation process.
The group, including the Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room, Yiaga Africa, Kimpact Development Initiative, Nigerian Women Trust Fund, ElectHER, and TAF Africa, jointly issued a statement on Sunday citing irregularities and disruptions at various collation centres.
According to the coalition, reports have emerged about disruptions, including alleged intimidation of INEC officials across several polling units.
