Palpable tension has seized residents of Edo State as they and other Nigerians wait on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to release the official election results of the governorship election held in the state on Saturday.
The build-up to the election had been characterised by large scale violence, raising temperature to feverpitch, although the election was largely peaceful in most parts of the state. However, a yet-to-beidentified woman said to be in her 30s was shot dead in Ward 10, Ovia South-West Local Government Area of the state, as armed thugs stormed the area, shooting at people.
Despite the tension that enveloped the voting atmosphere, there was large turn-out at various polling units across the state. In the results that started trickling in after the close of voting yesterday, the governor of the state and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Godwin Obaseki and his main challenger of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Pastor Ize-Iyamu, won their polling units. Obaseki polled 184 votes in unit 19, Ward 4 in Oredo Local Government Area of the state to beat Ize-Iyamu who scored 62.
Similarly, Ize-Iyamu won his own unit in Ugboko ward 4, unit 26 Orhionmwon Local Government Area with 292 votes to beat Obaseki who polled 21 votes. Governor Obaseki’s deputy, Philip Shaibu, also delivered his own Unit 5, Ward 11 in Estako West Local Government Area to the PDP with 401 votes against APC’s 148 votes.
The PDP won the election in the unit of the APC chairman in Esan West, Ward 9, polling 126 votes to beat the APC which had 93 votes just as the PDP also won in the unit of a former national chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie- Oyegun, in Ward 2 of Oredo Local Government Area with 109 to beat the APC that scored 40 votes.
Obaseki’s former Chief of Staff, who dumped him to join the APC, Akerele, won his polling unit in Ward 1 of Akoko Edo Local Government Area with 211 votes to defeat PDP which garnered 88 vote .
