Obaseki wins Edo governorship election, bags another term in office

 

Governor Godwin Obaseki has won the Edo State governorship election on the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).

Obaseki defeated main challenger, Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and 12 other lightweight candidates, to secure another term of four years in office.

Obaseki scored 307,955 votes, while Ize-Iyamu gained 223,619 votes.

You can see how the 18 local governments in Edo voted here.

Violent election

The build-up to the election was everything but peaceful, with thugs from the two major political camps unleashing violence and turning the south-south state into a battlefield of some sorts.

Police boss Mohammed Adamu had to deploy 31,000 officers to Edo to keep the peace and restore some semblance of sanity, days before the vote.

The vote itself was marred by pockets of violence in certain polling units and vote buying. One electoral officer was shot, while the other was cut in the face. COVID-19 safety protocols like physical distancing and wearing of face masks, were also largely ignored at polling units.

Oshiomhole Vs Obaseki

Obaseki fell out with godfather and predecessor Adams Oshiomhole, months before the electioneering campaigns.

He defected from the APC to the PDP in June after he was disqualified from contesting the primary election on the APC platform, with the screening committee citing discrepancies in his school certificates.

Obaseki would go on to secure the PDP’s ticket for the election in a week, after visiting PDP Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom.

He defected from the APC to the PDP in June after he was disqualified from contesting the primary election on the APC platform, with the screening committee citing discrepancies in his school certificates.

Obaseki would go on to secure the PDP’s ticket for the election in a week, after visiting PDP Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom.