Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo state has been re-elected for a second term in office on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Obaseki scored the highest votes in Saturday’s Edo State governorship election.
The result of the election held in all Edo’s 18 local governments was declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday in Benin, the Edo state capital.
Mr Obaseki polled 314,676 votes to defeat his main rival, Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who had 223,619 votes.
Mr Obaseki also won in 13 of the 18 local government areas and thus scored more than 25 per cent of votes cast in two-thirds of the local governments in the state to satisfy the second constitutional requirement to be declared governor.
INEC has formally declared Obaseki the winner of the election.
Obaseki was first elected governor in 2016 on the platform of the APC, succeeding Adam Oshiomole, the former chairman of the APC.
His manin contender now, Ize-Iyamu was then the candidate of the opposition PDP.
Months leading to his re-election, Obaseki fell out with Oshiomole, causing him to defect to the PDP and Ize-Iyamu to the APC.
The fall out between Oshiomhole and Obaseki led to internal rancour within the APC which translated to a legal tussle that culminated in Oshiomhole departing as the chairman of the ruling party.
More to follow….