Governor Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is leading in Saturday 19 September Edo State governorship election after recording 250,345 votes in the ongoing collation exercise after results from 13 local governments.
The governor’s challenger, Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has recorded 154,192 votes, so far.
Results from 13 LGAs have so far been collated at the INEC collation exercise in Benin City, the state capital.
Edo State has 18 LGAs and the election was held in all the local governments.
Mr Obaseki has won in 11 LGAs including his home Oredo LGA, the largest, while Mr Ize-Iyamu has only picked two, Owan East and Etsako West, Adam Oshiomole’s LGA.
Mr Obaseki won his first election in 2016 as a candidate of the APC, principally supported by Mr Oshiomole, the immediate past governor and former chairman of the APC. Mr Ize-Iyamu was then the candidate of the PDP.
But in the course of his term as the governor, Mr Obaseki became estranged with Mr Oshiomole, causing an epic political battle now being capped off with his expected victory today.
The battle contributed to the fall of Mr Oshiomole as the chairman of the APC. But Mr Obaseki also could not get that party’s ticket and he had to switch to the PDP with his deputy, Phillip Shaibu.
