Politics
Inec And Edo Guber Election
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday declared Mr Adams Oshiomhole of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) as the winner of the Edo governorship election, held on Saturday
The Returning Officer, Prof Osayuki Oshodi , who officially announced the result of the election at INEC headquarter in Benin, said Oshiomhole scored 477,478 votes to defeat five other candidates in the election.
Oshodi said Maj.-Gen.Charles Airhiavbere of the Peoples Democratic Party scored 144, 235 votes, while Chief Solomon Edebiri of All Nigeria Peoples Party scored 3,642 votes to come third.
He said Mr Roland Izeobuwe of Congress for Progressive Change came fourth with 2,793 votes and Mr Frank Ukonga of Social Democratic Movement Party followed with 807 votes.
Oshodi, who is the Vice-Chancellor of University of Benin, further announced that Mr Andrew Igwemoh of Labour Party scored 604 votes, while Mr Paul Orunmwese of National Conscience Party scored 540 votes in the contest,
He said that Oshiomhole, who is the incumbent, won in the 18 local government areas of the state and satisfied the requirements of the law to be declared winner of the contest.
“I, Prof Oshiodi as the returning officer, hereby certify that I was the returning officer of the July 14 governorship election and hereby declare that Oshiomhole having satisfied the requirement of the law and having scored the highest number of votes cast is hereby declared winner,’’ Oshodi declared.
Mainwhile, the Agent of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Martin Osakwe, in Saturday’s governorship election in Edo, has congratulated Gov. Adams Oshiomhole of ACN for his re-election.
Osakwe said in an interview with the Newsmen in Benin on Sunday that “as a person, I congratulate the declared winner. The party hierarchy will make a formal statement.’’
Osakwe commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for a job well done and the security agents for their work in the election.
Residents of Benin City defied the morning rain and went into the streets in large numbers to jubilate over the re-election of the governor.
Jubilant crowds held brooms, the symbol of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), dancing and sweeping the streets.
Motorcyclists, popularly called Okada riders, also displayed brooms as they made brisk businesses major streets of the city, shouting ‘Oshio Baba’ a pet name for the governor
Our political correspondent reports that Voters trooped in large numbers to polling centres across the state with some arriving at the polling centres as early as 6a.m.
CHAIRMAN of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, had onTuesday last week arrived Benin City, the Edo State capital, with the assurance that the commission was ready to conduct a free, fair and credible governorship election .
Jega, who during an interview with journalist at the airport, expressed the commission’s readiness to ensure that all the Commission’s plans were fine-tuned for the election .
Apart from the assurance of free and fair election in the state,he also held a meeting with the stakeholders and party leaders of the commission’s plans for the election.
According to him, “We are in Edo State in fulfillment of the promise that we made to Nigerians in general and the people of Edo State in particular to ensure [a] free, fair and credible election, we’ve been working day and night and we’ve been doing our best to ensure that there is indeed free, fair, peaceful and credible election in Edo State.
“Our mission is clear. I am here to see the last-minute preparations before the election on Saturday. I know we have done everything possible to ensure that we have a free fair, credible and peaceful election; but I am here to make sure that everything has been done as planned before the election on Saturday and also to meet, of course, with the stakeholders.
“Of course, we normally do that. Before elections, we meet with stakeholders; we brief them about our last-minute preparations and if they have any last-minute questions or complaints, we try to address them.”
The INEC boss dismissed allegations by some civil society organisations (CSOs) that the commission deliberately denied accreditation to local observers for the election, saying: “We have done everything possible as per the established rules and regulations to properly accredit observers in Edo State. We have used the same procedure we have used to accredit observers in all the elections we have held in INEC. Since the April 2011 elections, we have applied that criteria rigorously.
“We normally advertise and people are given time within which to apply. Anybody who did not apply within the time frame allocated will not be considered and that is what has happened in this regard. We did not deliberately exclude anybody. Anybody who has not been accredited to observe the Edo election and all other elections, it is because they have not satisfied the requirements for accreditation for the election.”
Jega further said: “We have had stories being bandied about saying that we did not accredit any Edo civil society [group] or organisation; that is false. We have accredited many Edo-based civil society organisations but some did not meet the requirement, either they did not apply in time or the criteria we set, they did not meet it.
“Anybody who did not comply with those criteria, we did not accredit. This is not the first time we are doing it. We have done it in all previous elections; we only accredit people who meet the criteria we have set for the election.”
Jega also said the court judgment barring the commission from the use of the collapsible transparent ballot boxes because of issues pertaining to patent rights would not in any way affect the conduct of the governorship election in the state.
“As far as we are concerned, the judgment that has been passed does not affect our preparations for the election in Edo State. The judgment was in respect of collapsible election boxes, which are totally different from the ones we are using for this election,” he added.
INEC before the election on Saturday deployed eight National Commissioners and 10 Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) to Edo State for governorship election in the state.
Governor Oshiomhole had earlier brandd the INEC and its Chairman,Prof.Attahiru Jega as an embarrasement to the nation.
The Governor who spoke with newsmen at Iyamho Primary School, Iyamho, Etsako West Local Government, wondered how a winner would emerge in an election that prevents qualified voters from exercising their fundamental rights.as he accused the commission for not bring voting materials on time in some local government Area for the election.
“He expressed disappointment with the manner INEC had handled the exercise, saying, “Professor Jega and INEC have been an embarrassment to the nation. I am in shock with all the arrangements they have made… INEC is the weakest link in the Nigeria democratic chain. I have no faith in what INEC is doing in Benin City.”
He promised to hold the INEC chairman responsible for the “failure of the election and for disenfranchising the people” because the electoral body “connived” with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to rig the election.
“They planned it and executed it this way. It is a shame that they have programmed this to embarrass Nigeria. If INEC does not allow the people to vote and they pronounce the winner, there will be trouble,” he warned.
“Fifty five pe rcent of voters are in Edo South and 40 percent in Benin City, and they think they can deprive the people the opportunity to vote. Professor Jega has failed because I wrote a petition that they are buying voters card. We will all go to court before God. They know that if it is two people remaining, they will not vote for them”
However, PDP, in an immediate reaction, described Oshiomhole’s position as hasty and a reflection of his fear of defeat. Okharedia Ihimekpen, its state director of publicity, said the governor’s comments were capable of damaging the integrity of the election.
Claiming that elections in the country are typically characterized by vote buying, Mr Nwosu said a repeat of such phenomenon would taint the credibility of the forthcoming gubernatorial poll.
Mr Nwosu is among the 16 governorship candidates listed by INEC in a June 4, 2025 statement to participate in the November 8, 2025 election in Anambra State.
His party, the ADC, will battle it out with other parties to unseat incumbent Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Mr Nwosu, in a statement on Saturday, said it was baffling seeing voters openly selling their votes to party agents and other representatives around polling units on election day.
According to him, “such practices not only derail the true will of the people but also reduce elections to an auction, where the state is effectively handed over to the highest bidder.”
Mr Nwosu urged INEC to introduce secure voting cubicles that would safeguard the legitimate rights of voters and uphold the sovereignty of democracy.
“INEC must provide secure voting cubicles to ensure ballots remain private and secret. Currently, many polling areas are too exposed, allowing others to see the voting process. This not only encourages vote buying but also undermines the integrity of the elections.
“Voting must remain secret. Nigeria already has strong electoral laws which, if properly enforced, can deliver outcomes that truly benefit society”, Mr Nwosu said.
He held that the Anambra governorship election was another opportunity for INEC to secure the trust of Nigerians about its commitment to transparency and fairness during polls.
He also noted the role of security agencies in tackling the menace of vote buying on the day of election.
He said, “The success of any political activity depends largely on security, because security is key. While it is not solely INEC’s duty to ensure elections are properly conducted, the Commission must create an enabling environment that allows citizens to participate freely, conduct themselves properly, and exercise their right to vote.”
The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, called on the relevant security agencies to investigate the attackers and their sponsors.
“The Labour Party is perplexed by the physical attack on our National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure, by agents suspected to be working for anti-democratic elements who have tried unsuccessfully to wrestle the leadership of the party from him.
“Few hours ago, a prominent member of a known political family, Ms Precious Oruche, alias ‘Mama P’, accosted Barrister Abure while on a queue at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport Abuja, boarding a Max Air flight en route to Benin, and attacked the Labour Party’s National Chairman unprovoked.
“The attacker, Madam P, who is also a known content creator, continued the attack all through the duration of the flight, defying all attempts by the Max Air flight attendants to calm her.
“The assault, which attracted a large population of onlookers, continued unabated on disembarkment at the Benin Airport while she continued recording the scene.
“It took the intervention of the security agents on hand to whisk Abure to safety while the attacker was handed over to the police for questioning.
“In one of her films released, the lady, who is a prominent member of the ‘Obidient’ and claimed that she has contacts with the highest police hierarchy, boasted that nothing will happen to her.
“She vowed that she will not stop attacking Abure or any member of the Labour Party executive because, according to her, ‘you have killed Labour Party and you are the reason why Obi is no longer in the Labour Party.’
“The leadership of the Labour Party is completely troubled with this cyber-bullying and the consequences of the action of this political agent on the party. We are by this statement calling on the Inspector General of Police to thoroughly investigate this suicidal aggression against the leadership of the Labour Party and Barrister Julius Abure in particular.
“We sincerely believe that the lady-agent was on an assignment to accomplish the desires of her paymasters. Assault and cyber-bullying are severe crimes under our laws and we think that the Police must fish out her sponsors and cohorts, and bring them to book.
“We are calling on the members of the Labour Party to be calm, even in the face of this unwarranted provocation and wait for the outcome of the investigation on the unprovoked attack against the leadership of the party,” the statement read.
Speaking during the party’s congress in Yola, the state capital, on Saturday, Mr David Lorhenba, the chairman, Adamawa Congress Committee, described the exercise as hitch-free.
He said that a total of 2,656 delegates from 21 local government areas came out and elected 39 officials.
Mr Lorhenba commended the delegates for conducting themselves in an orderly manner.
“The conduct of the congress is very successful, all the delegates come from 21 Local Government Areas and cast their votes peacefully.
“We have a total of 2,656 delegates and we have announced the winners very successfully”, he said.
In his remarks, Alhaji Attahiru Shehu, the outgoing chairman, congratulated the new executives and charged them to continue on what they have already done for the party to remain strong.
According to him, they started as opposition in the state and produced Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri who is serving his second term, opining they “he has done well for the state.”
In his acceptance speech, Mr Madagali thanked the delegates for the confidence they reposed in him.
He promised to run an open door policy in manning the affairs of the party.
“Let us continue the legacy of good governance and prepare ahead for 2027 with focus, discipline and unity.
“To those outside our party, especially the youths and women of Adamawa, we invite you into our party.
“PDP is your home. Our doors are open to all who wish to contribute positively to the development of our state.
“Our party will continue to be a shining example of people-focused on leadership,” he said.
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