The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) were in a close contest late last night as the Edo State 2024 governorship election approached its final stages.
According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), 95% of the results from the 4,519 polling units had been uploaded to its Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
Preliminary results indicated that the PDP was leading, with the APC closely trailing. The Labour Party (LP), initially seen as a strong contender, was placed a distant third.
Both the PDP and APC claimed to be ahead, citing field reports from their party agents, as the largely peaceful election saw voters braving heavy rains in various parts of the state to cast their ballots.
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APC Confident In Early Lead
The APC expressed confidence in its position, with party spokesman Felix Morka stating that their data indicated a lead. However, the party refrained from making any official declarations, urging the public to await the final results from INEC.
Morka added, “Our great party is comfortably in an early lead, but as a responsible party, we will not attempt to preempt INEC’s conclusion of the election process and official declaration of final results.”
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PDP Calls For Vigilance Against Manipulation
Meanwhile, the PDP urged its supporters to remain vigilant, ensuring that the results announced at polling units are accurately reflected in the collation process. The party emphasized the importance of transparency in the declaration of results, warning the APC against any attempts to manipulate the vote count.
Debo Ologunagba, the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, said, “The PDP counsels the APC to respect the will of the people of Edo State as expressed at the polling units.”
As the race tightens, all eyes remain on INEC for the official announcement of the final results.