By Ayodele Oni

Major opposition parties in Edo State have described Saturday’s local government election as a sham.

Some of them, however, boycotted the election, citing concerns over legality, fairness, and credibility of the process conducted by the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC).

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), and National Democratic Congress (NDC) refrained from fielding candidates, leaving the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) with minimal or no serious competition in most of the 18 local government areas.

EDSIEC had cleared 12 parties for the polls, but the absence of the main opposition groups turned the exercise into what critics described as a virtual walkover for the APC.

In a strongly worded statement issued after the polls, Saintmoses Eromosele, NDC candidate for the Esan Central Constituency in the Edo State House of Assembly, highlighted widespread issues with result sheets obtained from several polling centres.

According to Eromosele in the statement, the sheets showed cancellations, contradictory figures, and arithmetic that “simply do not add up.”

He claimed that in some centres, APC votes were recorded as the total valid votes despite other parties receiving credits, while in others, the sum of valid and rejected votes exceeded the number of accredited voters.

“They had no serious competition. They controlled the process. Yet they still could not produce believable arithmetic,” Eromosele stated.

He questioned the ruling party’s competence in governance, asking how a government unable to reconcile basic election figures could manage budgets, education, health, security, and public funds.

Eromosele urged Edo residents to preserve the result sheets as evidence of “shameful display of incompetence” and described the episode as a poor example for children, equating it to unacceptable cheating in a classroom setting.

He positioned the NDC as offering a “credible path toward national renewal,” endorsing Peter Obi for president in 2027 and himself for the Esan Central seat.

The boycott stemmed from allegations of constitutional violations, including the dissolution of previously elected local government officials and their replacement with caretaker committees, the reconstitution of EDSIEC before the end of its tenure, and disregard for court judgments.

PDP chairman Tony Aziegbemi had earlier declared that “illegality cannot produce legitimacy.”

EDSIEC maintained that the process was prepared and conducted peacefully, with manual accreditation and voting.

Governor Monday Okpebholo and APC officials described voter turnout as encouraging in available reports.

Some early results, such as in Ovia South West, showed APC victories.

As results are being expected, the claims of irregularities remain unverified by independent observers in public reports so far.

By Ayodele Oni

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have described voters turnout in the ongoing Local Government Area election in the state as impressive, adding that the it is a true reflection of his good governance.

Okpebholo made the remark shortly after he cast his vote at Ward 2, Udomi Primary School, in Esan Central Local Government Area.

He arrived at his polling unit at about 10:24 a.m. and joined other voters on queue before exercising his civic responsibility at exactly 10:40 a.m.

The governor commended voters for their orderly conduct and said reports reaching him from other parts of the state indicated that the election was progressing peacefully.

“By the grace of God, a winner will emerge at the end of today’s election,” he said.

The governor urged residents to continue conducting themselves peacefully throughout the voting process and to await for official declaration of results by the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC).

Some Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) expressed satisfaction with voters turnout and the peaceful conduct of the Edo local government election after casting their ballots in Benin City.

Voting commenced at about 9:00 a.m. at Ward 7, Polling Unit 42, New Benin, where the Edo APC Secretary, Lawrence Okah, voted.

The polling unit recorded a large turnout of voters, with many waiting patiently to cast their ballots in an orderly atmosphere.

Okah, who spoke to newsmen after casting his vote, dismissed claims that the election started late at his polling unit.

He said electoral officials arrived early and voting commenced once a sizeable number of voters had gathered.

Voters at Ward 7, unit 42 New Benin

“We started on time. The officials were here early, and when the crowd became sizeable, we began the process. As you can see, the turnout is impressive.

“People came out because they believe in the process, and everything is going smoothly. I am confident they will vote for the APC,” he said.

At Ward 7, Polling Unit 20, Edokpolor, the APC chairmanship candidate, Gabriel Edusei, also commended the turnout after casting his vote.

Gabriel Edusei casting his vote

Edusei described the voter participation as encouraging, saying it surpassed what he had witnessed in previous elections.

He attributed the turnout to what he described as the performance of the APC-led administration in Edo and expressed optimism that the party would emerge victorious.

Voters casting their votes at Ward 7, unit 20, Edokplor

The APC chairmanship candidate also noted the presence of agents of other political parties at the polling unit, describing it as an indication of transparency in the electoral process.