US lauds conduct of Edo governorship election
By Kunle Sanni
The United States has commended the conduct of the recent Edo State governorship election, where the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, emerged victorious.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, US Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, described the election as “largely peaceful.”
“The U.S. Mission in Nigeria commends the people of Edo State for the widely peaceful conduct of the gubernatorial election on September 21 and reiterates calls for calm following the announcement of results,” the statement read.
“We commend Governor Obaseki’s appeal for peace and urge all stakeholders, including INEC, to support established electoral processes and respect legal procedures for challenging results.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Okpebholo the winner of the September 21 election, with a total of 291,667 votes.
His closest competitor, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), garnered 247,274 votes, while Labour Party’s candidate, Olumide Akpata, came in third with 22,763 votes, significantly trailing behind the two leading contenders.
The US praised the election process, emphasizing its peaceful and credible nature.
