Edo State Governorship Election 2024: Live Updates as Ighodalo, Okpebholo, Akpata Battle for Votes
Benin City, Edo state—The Edo 2024 Governorship Election is shaping up to be a highly competitive race as voters head to the polls to choose the next state governor to succeed Godwin Obaseki. The top three candidates are Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP).
Source: Facebook
Stay tuned for Legit.ng's live updates and coverage of the election, including the voting process, turnout, and results across the state.
Voting still in progress at Ighodalo polling unit
Voting is still in progress at the polling unit of PDP's Ague Ighodalo.
Ighodalo earlier voted at the PU3, Ward 1, Ewohimi, Esan south-east, Edo state.
Davido speaks against police directive
Davido, a Nigerian afro-beat singer and brother to Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun state, has criticized the police's position that Edo people should go home after casting their votes.
The singer singer expressed his video while sharing the video of the interview of Frank Mba, the deputy inspector general of police during the Edo governorship election.
See his reaction here:
PDP demands withdrawal of AIG Igwe from Edo
The PDP has asked the IGP Kayoye Egbetoku to immediately redeploy AIG Benneth Igwe from election duty in Edo.
Debo Ologunagba, the spokesperson of the party, in a statement on Saturday, alleged that Igwe had been positioned by the APC to cause a crisis in the state,
According to Ologunagba, the AIG held a secret meeting with some police officers to provide cover for the APC thugs when they launched their attacks.
See the full statement here:
Edo: PDP's Ighodalo waits to cast vote
Asue Ighodalo, the governorship candidate of the PDP in Edo, could be seen waiting to cast his vote on Saturday morning, September 21.
The gubernatorial hopeful mingled with the masses at ward 1, PU3, Ewohimi, Esan south-east LGA.
See the picture below:
APC candidate brags of winning
The APC candidate in the ongoing Edo governorship election, Monday Okpebholo, has vowed that the PDP will not get a single vote at his polling unit.
Okpebholo, after casting his vote at PU003, Uwessan 1, Esan Central LGA in Edo, said his people love him, and none of them will vote for the PDP.
The APC candidate also tackled Governor Godwin Obaseki, alleging that the PDP governor was trying to create tension in the state ahead of the poll.
See the video of his interview here:
EFCC makes arrests as voting commences in Edo
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Saturday morning, September 21, arrested about three suspected vote-buyers in the off-cycle governorship election in Edo state.
The arrest, in Egor council area, comes after the anti-graft agency vowed to clamp down on vote-buying and related crimes in the Edo election.
Why vote buying is difficult to manage
Frank Mba, the deputy inspector general of police, has explained that vote buying is one of the difficult offences to manage.
Mba made the comment while speaking on the background of the 2024 governorship election in Edo state.
According to the police boss, the majority of vote buying is taking place at secret venues, not in the presence of the media or the security agencies.
APC governorship candidate cast his vote
Monday Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the Edo governorship election, cast his vote at Polling Unit 001, Uwessan 1, Esan Central local government area of Edo state.
Okpebholo became the first governorship candidate to cast his vote at the ongoing 2024 governorship election in Edo state on Saturday, September 21.
See the video of the moment here:
INEC official yet to resume at Ighodalo's polling unit
The officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are yet to resume the voting process two hours after official resumption at the polling unit of Asue Ighodalo, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Ighodalo is from the Idinrio community in Ewohimi, the Esan southeast local government area in Edo state.
Voting commenced at Philip Shaibu polling unit
Voting has commenced at Azama Primary School, Ward 11, PU05, Etsako West LGA
This is where Philip Shaibu, the deputy governor of the state, is expected to vote. EFCC officials have just arrived to monitor the process.
See the details here:
Edo: INEC gives condition to upload results
The Edo resident electoral commissioner (REC), Anugbum Onuoha, has said the results of the state's governorship election 2024 will be uploaded to the IReV if there are no network issues.
Speaking with Arise News in an interview published on the platform’s verified X (formerly Twitter) page on Saturday morning, September 21, Onuoha said election results will be transmitted electronically.
Edo governorship election 2024: APC, PDP share concerns
Peter Uwadiae, the All Progressives Congress (APC) spokesperson in Edo, has expressed his party's readiness for the 2024 governorship election in the state, although his party are worried.
In the same vein, while expressing readiness for the election, Pedro Obaseki, the deputy director-general of media for the PDP campaign, voiced concerns that thugs could hijack the process.
Voting begins at Esan central
INEC has announced that accreditation and voting began at exactly 8:30am at Polling Unit 005, Registration Ward 05, Idumebo primary school, Esan Central Local Government Area.
See the details here:
Voting begins at Gov Obaseki polling unit
INEC has resumed the voting process at Governor Obaseki's polling unit.
A video of the development has emerged. See the video here:
Photos: Voters gathered at Obaseki polling unit
People at Governor Obaseki polling units have come out to cast their votes as they came before INEC officials.
The pictures of the voters were shared by Vanguard. See the pictures here:
INEC official setting up election material in Etsako West
Location: Elele Inigbi Primary School, Ward 9, PU09, Etsako West LGA
Update: INEC officials are setting up, and voters are perusing the list of valid registrants for their names. The presiding officers tell The Cable they are expecting chairs so they can begin the process.
See the tweet here:
Police arrest PDP members with guns
The Nigeria Police Force has made a significant breakthrough in curbing electoral violence in Edo State with the arrest of two political thugs, Edwin Obanor and Audu Tajudeen.
Obanor, 43, was apprehended at Oredo Ward 4 around 9 pm, while Tajudeen, a 41-year-oldPeoples Democratic Party (PDP) member from Ugbogbo quarters, Igara Akoko, was caught in Igara Akoko on the eve of the election.
See the full statement here:
INEC Officers turn up at RAC Centres
Video of INEC officials taking election materials to polling units have emerged.
This is as the people of Edo state are setting out to election a new governor. See the video here:
Nurudeen Lawal (Head of Politics and Current Affairs Desk) Nurudeen Lawal is an AFP-certified journalist with a wealth of experience spanning over 8 years. He received his B/Arts degree in Literature-in-English from OAU. Lawal is the Head of the Politics/CA Desk at Legit.ng, where he applies his expertise to provide incisive coverage of events. He was named the Political Desk Head of the Year (Nigeria Media Nite-Out Award 2023). He is also a certified fact-checker (Dubawa fellowship, 2020). Contact him at lawal.nurudeen@corp.legit.ng or +2347057737768.
Bada Yusuf (Politics and Current Affairs Editor) Yusuf Amoo Bada is an accomplished writer with 7 years of experience in journalism and writing, he is also politics and current affairs editor with Legit.ng. He holds B.A in Literature from OAU, and Diploma in Mass Comm. He has obtained certificates in Advance Digital Reporting, News Lab workshop, Journalism AI Discovery. He previously worked as Editor with OperaNews. Legit’s Best Editor of the Year for Politics and Current Affairs Desk (2023). Contact: bada.yusuf.amoo@corp.legit.ng
