Adams Oshiomhole will be counting his second loss at the moment as Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Godwin Obaseki, winner of the governorship election in Edo State.
INEC’s Returning Officer, Prof. Akpofure Rim-Rukeh, announced the result of the election on Sunday declaring Obaseki as the winner.
Obaseki of PDP polled 307,955 votes to defeat his closest rival, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who got 223,619 votes.
Prof. Rim-Rukeh, while declaring Obaseki winner, said the incumbent governor was returned elected after satisfying all requirements in line with the law.
Obaseki of PDP ran against APC standard-bearer Ize-Iyamu and 13 others, won the election to begin his second term of four years in office.
The results collated in 18 LGAs early Sunday, showed that PDP won in 15 of the 18 Local Government Areas.
Obaseki was elected on APC’s platform in 2016 but defected to the PDP after being denied the ticket owing to intra-party squabbles.
Today would have been a day of glory for Oshiomhole in his home state if he did not misuse his position as the national chairman of APC, if he had managed his party’s governorship primary very well. The crisis that made him lose his seat as national chairman of APC began in Edo state.