As the Edo State governorship election draws closer, major political parties in the country have concluded the selection of their representatives.
Among the parties that have shown readiness include the All Progressives Congress, Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party.
Senator Monday Okpebholo (Edo Central) was on Friday, February 23, declared the winner of the Edo All Progressives Congress governorship direct primary election.
Cross River Governor Bassey Otu, who was the Chairman of the Edo APC shadow poll, made the declaration after collating the results from the 18 local government areas, according to The Nation.
Okpebholo polled 12,433 votes to defeat the representative of the Ovia constituency in the House of Representatives, Dennis Idahosa, who scored 6,541 votes.
Senator Monday Okpebholo is a Nigerian politician who represents Edo Central Senatorial district at the National Assembly.
Meanwhile, Asue Ighodalo has emerged as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the November 12 poll.
Ighodalo polled 577 votes to beat other aspirants-Anselm Ojezua, Arthur Esele, Osaro Onaiwu, Martins Uhomoibhi, Hadizat Umoru and Felix Akhabue, who scored zero.
The Chief Returning Officer of the Edo PDP Governorship Primary Election Committee, Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State announced Ighodalo as a candidate.
However, Olumide Akpata was declared the winner of the Edo Labour Party Governorship primary election on Friday.
Akpata scored 316 votes to win the exercise held in Benin City, the Edo State capital, on Friday.
The deputy governor of Abia State, Ikechukwu Emetu, who was the returning officer for the poll made the declaration after collating the results.
Olumide Osaigbovo Akpata was born on October 7, 1972 in Edo state.
Moreover, the Edo State Peoples Democratic Party, on Thursday, held a parallel governorship primary that produced the state deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, as the candidate for the upcoming poll.
While some delegates were being accredited at Edo Hotel Marquee to proceed to the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium venue of the primary election, another set of delegates met in a facility in Commercial Avenue where they announced Shaibu as the candidate of the PDP.
They claimed that they went to the venue for accreditation but were chased away by security agencies.
They also alleged that the list of delegates published by the national leadership of the party was not the authentic one, adding that they saw names of people from Bayelsa State and members of the All Progressives Congress.
Declaring Shaibu winner of the election, Bartholomew Moses said, “During the counting of this primary election, Philip Shaibu has a score of 301 votes and therefore, we hereby declare Philip Shaibu as the authentic elected candidate for this election in the PDP.”
