The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on Edo State residents to ignore purported “results” from Saturday’s governorship election circulating on social media. In a statement, APC spokesman Felix Morka emphasized that the official collation of results at the ward level is still ongoing, with local government collations yet to commence in many areas.
Morka stated, “Our party wishes to clarify that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is the sole authorized body to collate results and declare the official outcome of the election.” He urged the public to await INEC’s official announcement and disregard any misrepresentations.
INEC has reiterated this stance, warning social media users against prematurely announcing election results. Edo State's Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Anugbum Onuoha, explained in an interview that no results have been received from any of the 18 local government areas. He stressed, “I cannot categorically tell you when we will announce the results in the state. For now, no results yet.”
INEC has, however, uploaded over 90% of polling unit result sheets to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV), with 3,995 out of 4,519 polling units reported as of 7:40 PM on Saturday.
As residents voted on September 21, 2024, to elect a successor to incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki, who will complete his two terms on November 12, 2024, the atmosphere remained charged. Edo State is one of eight states holding off-cycle elections this year due to various legal disputes.
Supporters of both the APC and PDP gathered at Ramat Park in Benin, celebrating in anticipation of their candidates’ success, even as official results remained pending. Security forces, including police and military personnel, worked to maintain peace amid the enthusiastic crowds.
