Edo 2024: 2.2m voters to decide Akpata, Okpebholo, Ighodalo’s fate

A total of 2,249,780 (two million, two hundred and forty nine thousand, seven hundred and eighty) registered voters will participate in the governorship election set to hold in Edo State on Saturday.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) disclosed on Tuesday that the figure is the number of registered voters who have collected their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) ahead of the governorship election.

NaijaOnPoint.com.ng (NOP) reports Olumide Akpata, Monday Okpebholo and Asue Ighodalo are the governorship candidates of the frontline political parties set to participate in the electoral contest and would have their fate decided by the 2,249,780 voters.

While Akpata is the governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Okpebholo is the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Ighodalo represents the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Giving a breakdown of the registered voters who have collected their PVCs, Mr Sam Olumekun, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, disclosed that the 2,249,780 figure represents 85.57% of the 2,629,025 total registered voters in the State.

Olumekun stated that 379,245 PVCs, representing 14.43 per cent, were uncollected as of Monday September 16, at the end of the extended period for PVC collection in the State.

He said that consequently, INEC was making available data on PVC collection on Polling Unit basis in Edo ahead of the governorship election to hold on Saturday, September 21.

“There are 4,519 Polling Units in the State. Voting will take place in each unit. The detailed breakdown of the number of PVCs collected, as well as the number uncollected in each unit, has been uploaded to our website for guidance of political parties, candidates and public information,” Olumekun said.

He advised persons interested in viewing the 128-page document to visit the commission’s website: https://inecnigeria.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/PU-LEVEL-FOR-PVC-COLLECTED-FOR-2024-EDO-GOVERVORSHIP-ELECTION.pdf.

Edo 2024: Civil servants will be first victims if opposition wins – Obaseki

Meanwhile, Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has said civil servants in the State would face negative consequences if the opposition wins the upcoming governorship election in the State. Obaseki said this during a thank-you meeting with public servants on Tuesday in Benin.

Obaseki highlighted the progress made in technology-driven operations within the state’s civil service and urged voters to make the right decision in the election to maintain this momentum. He warned that electing leaders who lacked experience and ideas could be disastrous for the state.

He praised Ighodalo as a capable leader, who would continue his work and urged voters to defend their votes to ensure Edo’s continued development.

“I came to appreciate and thank you from the bottom of my heart. I won’t have achieved what we achieved without you. I am finishing the first part but the journey must not stop. It must continue, the engine of development must continue to run

“The rate at which we need to run will be very high when we make the right decision. We can’t afford any mistakes come Saturday. Those who want to take over power by all means are uneducated and have never worked in any better place.

“My message to you is that, that is a risk we can’t afford. It is not about Obaseki but democracy and development. The risk is about allowing people without ideas of what to do to lead. People who can’t even articulate their ideas, people who can’t read a balance sheet. Edo will face a major risk if you miss it on Saturday, ” he said.

According to Obaseki, any mistake you make will affect you first before others. You will be the first victim.

On his part, Asue Ighodalo, said that Obaseki had done tremendously well and the transformation in the civil service was second to none.

“Edo State public and civil service is number one in Nigeria. Obaseki has done well and I will continue from where Obaseki would stop. You all here will be my priority, function together and continue to make Edo state a progressive state and this shall be our focus, “he added.

Ighodalo charged the people to come out enmasse to vote and defend their votes.

Mr Anthony Okungbowa, the State Head of Service (HoS), thanked the governor for the tremendous reform he had made in the civil service and prayed to God to bless him.

He also thanked the governorship candidate for finding time to come to address them.

Governor Obaseki, thereafter, inaugurated the newly installed Third East/ Sakponba Road Junction traffic light.