President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reached out to congratulate the governor-elect, Senator Okpebholo, in the just-concluded gubernatorial election in Edo.
Okpebholo garnered 291,667 votes to defeat Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who got 247,274 votes and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) who came a distant third in the race with 22,763 votes.
INEC’s Returning Officer for the poll, Prof Faruk Kuta, declared the winner after serious of breaks.
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He said, “That Okpebholo Monday of APC having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”
Congratulating the winner in a statement signed by his media aide, Bayo Onanuga on Sunday’s night, the president noted the victory of the APC in the state testified to its commitment to improving the lives of Nigerians.
Tinubu, however, tasked the governor-elect not to gloat over his victory, adding he should reach out to his rivals in the polls.
The statement reads, “President Bola Tinubu congratulates Senator Monday Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in Saturday’s Edo State governorship election, on his victory at the polls.
Senator Okpebholo was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday, having defeated other contenders for the position.
President Tinubu commends APC national leaders, Edo State leaders, and party governors for working hard to achieve victory. He says the victory testified to the people’s support for the ruling party, its progressive ideals, its economic reengineering programme and its commitment to improving the lives of Nigerians.
He urges Senator Okpebholo not to gloat over his victory but to see it as a challenging call to service. He encourages him to demonstrate magnanimity by reaching out to his political rivals and uniting the people of Edo State to ensure its development.”
The president also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission for what he described as a free and fair election.
“I commend the INEC and our security agencies for working round the clock to conduct a successful, peaceful and largely hitch-free exercise.
“INEC has once again demonstrated that it is committed to organising a free and fair election in our country”.
Meanwhile, a coalition of international and local observers earlier demanded review of election results, citing some irregularities.
Several supporters of the People’s Democratic Party were also spotted protesting prior to the announcement of the results.