Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate and incumbent governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, made good his promise to sink the rival Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), following his successful re-election with a landslide victory in the Edo governorship poll on Saturday.Officially declaring him the winner of the election Sunday, the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Chief Returning Officer and Vice-Chancellor of University of Benin, Professor Osayuki Oshodi, said Oshiomhole secured 477,478 or 73.73 per cent of the total votes cast, to beat his closest rival, General Charles Airhiavbere of the PDP, who came a distant second with 144,325 votes or 22.27 per cent of the votes.
His victory notwithstanding, Oshiomhole Sunday tasked the Chairman of INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, to conduct an investigation into the delay in the arrival of election materials in Benin metropolis, with a view to forestalling similar logistic challenges in other parts of the country.
The governor’s win, however, elicited felicitations from President Goodluck Jonathan, the PDP and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) who all congratulated him on his electoral victory. But the ANPP candidate, Solomon Edebiri, was unhappy with his defeat, blaming his loss on money politics.
Other results released by INEC showed that Edebiri came a distant third with 3,642 votes (1.46%); Roland Izevbuwa (Congress for Progressive Change) – 2,073 votes or 0.73%; Mr. Frank Okonga (Social Democratic Movement Party) – 807 votes or 0.56%; Andrew Igwemoh (Labour Party) – 604 votes or 0.09% ; and Paul Orumwense (National Conscience Party) – 540 votes (0.09%).
Giving the breakdown of the result, the Chief Returning Officer said that the ACN candidate won in all the 18 local government areas in the state leaving nothing for his rivals. Although there was a high turnout of voters, INEC said only 647,698 votes were cast, representing 40 per cent of the total registered voters of 1,651,099 in the state.
Having reeled out the result, Oshodi officially declared Oshiomhole as the winner of the election, “having satisfied the requirement of the law and having scored the highest number of votes cast.”
Immediately after the announcement of the result, the state erupted into wide jubilation as people trooped into the streets singing victory songs and waving brooms in praise of Oshiomhole and ACN.
The governor, who seemed overwhelmed with joy, rode in an open SUV amid a heavy downpour. He drove through major streets of the state capital, Benin City, thanking people for their support.
In his immediate reaction, Airhiavbere said: “I have heard the result, but I am still studying it.”
Unlike events at his house on Boundary Street in the last few weeks, activities yesterday were low-keyed and almost deserted except for the presence of private security men.
On his part, Edebiri accused ACN and the PDP of inducing voters with excessive money in the election. Edebiri, while reacting to the result, said that he was not disturbed that he lost because he did not have the huge resources to finance the election like his ACN and PDP opponents.
According to the ANPP candidate, whose profile soared following his brilliant performance during the pre-election debates organised for all the candidates, “We lost to money politics; money was shared openly at the election centres to buy votes and that is what I have been campaigning against before the election.
“I did not have excess money to throw about like my opponents and even if I have, I won’t join them in the madness.”
He however congratulated Oshiomhole and advised him to strive to provide better welfare for the people of the state who are yearning for genuine development.
On the conduct of the election, Oshiomhole tasked Jega to conduct an investigation into the delay in the arrival of election materials in Benin City with a view to forestalling similar challenges in other parts of the country.
Speaking with journalists, Oshiomhole said: “I ask Jega to conduct an investigation into why for four hours materials were not delivered in Benin City. That investigation would help determine why some people were disenfranchised.”
Oshiomhole, however, commended the INEC chairman and the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Alhaji Kassim Geidam, for conducting a free and fair election in the state.
He said: “I believe that the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Geidam, demonstrated uncommon quality of leadership. He showed commitment and courage to duty. Under tension, he maintained his cool.”
The governor noted that there were still some people posted to Edo who could not be entrusted with responsible positions.
“I have argued that anybody in INEC who has conducted an election that was annulled has no basis getting involved in any other election,” he said.
He called on Jega to advise Dr. Ismael Igbani to resign following the obnoxious role he played to undermine the electoral process during last Saturday’s governorship election.
Oshiomhole maintained that all those persons who had conducted elections that had been annulled by court of law have no basis for remaining in INEC.
He said his call for Igbani’s resignation became necessary following the role he played Sunday to mar the election in the city centres of Oredo, Egor and Ikpoba-Okha.
He alleged that Igbani, who had helped to rig elections in favour of a particular political party in other states, wanted to re-enact the same process by deliberately delaying the distribution of voting materials to the three local government areas, knowing full well that they have the highest number of registered voters.
According to him, “The intention was to create confusion in those LGAs so as to disenfranchise them and at the same time make that up through the back door.”
He noted that since distribution of voting materials started on Thursday after they were collected from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), there was no justification for the same materials to have reached remote towns and villages that are not more than two hours drive away from the capital city, whereas the three mentioned council areas that are just a 15-minute drive away could not get theirs on time.
He recalled that before the election, he had petitioned Jega, notifying him that some elements in the commission had struck a deal with a particular political party to delay voting materials or under-supply them so that majority of them would not have the opportunity to cast their votes.
To him, the number of votes cast did not reflect the number of registered voters, adding that the outcome was a clear demonstration that there was a large shortfall just as he maintained that in Oredo Local Government Area alone, about 260,000 voters were registered, while only 78,138 votes were cast.
Oshiomhole maintained that the outcome of the election was the unanimous agreement of the people that his government deserves a second term.
“Edo people from the south to the north to the central have spoken as one. This shows that all efforts of some people to whip up ethnicity failed woefully. Edo elections have shown that merit alone would determine the pattern of voting.
“The way the people have voted has made my job easier. I will build on the existing bridges of unity and sustain our developmental agenda,” he promised.
While expressing appreciation to President Jonathan for his adherence to the principle of one-man, one-vote, which facilitated the conduct of a free and fair election, the governor called on other political parties to support his government to take the state to the next level.
The governor, who spoke at the King’s Square shortly after his victory, described his triumph as an act of God, adding that the victory which came on a holy day signified a good omen for the people of the state.
Congratulating Oshiomhole on his victory, President Jonathan urged him to receive the fresh mandate as an endorsement of his outstanding performance in his first term and an expression of their desire for a continuation of his focused, purposeful and dynamic leadership.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, Jonathan also commended INEC, its personnel and the nation’s security services for ensuring that the election was free and fair in keeping with his administration’s commitment to continuously strengthen democracy in Nigeria through the establishment of a more credible electoral system.
He expressed hope that the governor would work even harder during his second term to justify the confidence in his leadership clearly expressed by the Edo State electorate and assured him that the Federal Government would continue to give all possible support and assistance for development in the state.
In its message, the PDP said it received with mixed feelings the result of the Edo gubernatorial election.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, it said: “While we await the reports of our monitors in different locations in the state, in order to determine our next course of action, we commend the people of Edo State for their enthusiastic participation in the exercise.
“In the course of our campaigns, we told the people that our entry into the race was not a do-or-die affair. We did our best to provide a credible alternative to the people of the state.
“However, to our disappointment, the results as declared by INEC did not go our way.”
PDP said that as a party that respects the institutions of democracy, and in demonstration of the spirit of sportsmanship, which is the acclaimed principle of the PDP under the leadership of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, “We call on all our supporters to accept this result as declared by INEC. We congratulate the winner for this victory.
“This, however, is without prejudice to our right to seek redress if we observe from our field reports any foul play. We therefore urge our supporters to remain calm, law abiding and resist any temptation to take the law into their hands.”
The ANPP expressed happiness at the conduct of the election. While congratulating the winner of the election, the party described the election as a reflection of true participatory democracy.
The National Chairman of ANPP, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, who signed the message, also described the re-election of Oshiohmole as well deserved.
Onu said the conduct of the election and its outcome had given reassuring hope that the future of democracy in Nigeria will be better.
Also, the ACN commended the courage and determination exhibited by the people of Edo State in defying all odds to vote and defend their votes in order to return Oshiomhole for another four-year tenure.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the good people of Edo State had shown, by their action, that true sovereignty lies with the people.
“The courageous and determined people of Edo State refused to be intimidated by the massive deployment of security forces by the PDP-controlled federal government. They overcame the shenanigans of a colluding INEC and rendered irrelevant the dirty tricks of misguided moneybags. In the end, they shut out the do-nothing PDP,” it said.
The party said one of the lessons to be drawn from its victory over the PDP is that even one million soldiers cannot change the course of history when they confront a determined people.
“There is always a reward for any elected official who truly serves the people, and that the people reserve the inalienable right to choose those who will lead them.
“But perhaps the biggest lesson for the PDP and its bunch of election manipulators, led by one Mr. Fixer, who has now been fixed for good, is that no good advert can sell a bad product - which the PDP has become in Nigeria,” the party said.
TABLE
Breakdown of Edo Election Results by LGA
Breakdown of Edo Election Results by LGA
ACN 477,478 votes (73.72%)
PDP 144,235 votes (22.27%)
ANPP 3,642 votes (1.46%)
CPC 2,792 votes ( 0.43%)
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