On Saturday, September 21, 2024, eligible voters will vote to elect a new governor in Edo state. Whosoever wins will succeed the incumbent, Godwin Obaseki, who will complete his four-year term on November 12, 2024- making it eight years as governor (2016-2024).
According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), candidates from about 18 political parties are expected to compete for the governorship seat, and campaigning has been intense.
ROUNDCHECK covers everything you need to know about the Edo State elections, including the candidates and the factors that could swing the election in their favour, as well as their strengths and weaknesses in the fierce competition, the number of political parties, the number of eligible voters, and expert commentary on the election.
The List of Candidates
On the 22nd of April, INEC officially released the final list of candidates for the governorship election in Edo State.
More Read
The list, which was announced through the body’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voters Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, announced that some political parties organised new primaries to substitute their earlier selected candidates before the April 15th 2024 deadline.
Olumekun said, “the Commission is pleased to announce the publication of the final list of candidates for the Edo State Governorship Election. Following the initial primaries, the Commission published the personal particulars of the Governorship candidates and their running mates in our State and Local Government offices in Edo State”.
In the displayed list, Mr Iseghohi Tom is the governorship candidate of Action Alliance (AA), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Anerua Abdullai Aliu, New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Azena Azemhe Friday and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Osifo Isiah.
Others are All Peoples Movement (APM) Ugiagbe Odaro Syvelster, Areleogbe Amos Osalumese All Peoples Party (APP), Akhime Kingson Action Democratic Party (ADP), African Action Congress (AAC) Udoh Oberaifo David and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Akhalamhe Amiemenoghena.
The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is Ighodalo Asuerinme, Boot Party (BP) Osirame Edeipo and Accord party (AP) has Iyere Kennedy as its governorship candidate.
African Democratic Congress (ADC) has Izedonmwen Osarenren Derek, Labour Party (LP) Olumide Akpata Anthony, All Progressives Congress (APC) Okpebholo Monday, Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Key Patience Ndidi and Young Progressives Party (YPP) Okungbowa Paul Ovbokhan.
Only 16 of the 17 political parties’ candidates are male, with one female representing the People’s Redemption party in the election.
The Three Horse Race
The political atmosphere in Edo State is reaching a feverish pitch. The frenzy is on, typical of elections in Nigeria, as electioneering has always been characterised by the usual carpet-crossing, alignments and realignments; horse-trading and violence
No doubt, the election is a three-horse race, but this particular contest is peculiar in several ways.
The rivalry between PDP, the governing party in Edo State, and APC, the party in charge at the national level, is more of a status and influence contest between two former allies, Governor Godwin Obaseki, and his predecessor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, now a senator.
Edo State’s governorship election on Saturday will be a close race between political heavyweights whose names are not even on the ballots.
On many fronts, the race has all the trappings of a proxy contest. Of all the candidates on the ballot, the three frontline candidates are: Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress, APC; Mr. Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; and Mr. Olumide Akpata, of the Labour Party, LP.
This election will rekindle the rivalry between the incumbent governor, Obaseki and Oshiomole, which began in 2019, when 14 elected state lawmakers loyal to Oshiomhole, were prevented from being sworn in as members of the House of Assembly, a situation orchestrated by Obaseki.
To get back at Obaseki, Oshiomhole, then as National Chairman of APC, had allegedly denied Obaseki APC’s second term governorship ticket.
And, of course, the candidate of Labour Party, Olumide Akpata, is poised to take advantage of the numerical strength of the zone he hails from.
There have been threats to security at different times, but the campaigns have also degenerated to character debate, with two of the frontline candidates – Ighodalo and Okpebholo – staying away from a debate organised for the candidates.
Eligible Voters
INEC announced that 2,249,780 Permanent Voter Cards had been collected from Edo State’s 2,629,025 registered voters ahead of the governorship election on September 21, 2024.
The collected PVCs represent 85.57 per cent of the total, with 379,245 PVCs, or 14.43 per cent still uncollected as of the extended deadline on Sunday, 15th September 2024, according to Inec.
With 4,519 polling units in Edo state, over 2 million eligible voters will decide the next governor on Saturday.
