The Edo State Independent Electoral Commission has declared the All Progressives Congress winner of all 18 chairmanship positions and the 192 councillorship seats contested in Saturday’s local government election across the state.
The announcement was made on Sunday in Benin by the commission’s chairman, Jonathan Aifuobhokhan, after the completion of the collation of results from the 18 local government areas and 192 wards.
According to the commission, the election was conducted across the state in line with the Edo State Local Government Electoral Law, 2022, as amended in 2026, as well as other relevant electoral guidelines. The commission said accreditation of voters, voting, sorting of ballots, counting, collation and declaration of results were completed through the appropriate procedures before the final outcome was announced.
Following the conclusion of the collation process, returning officers at the ward and local government levels declared the winners in their respective areas. Based on those official results, the APC secured victory in all chairmanship positions and every councillorship seat contested during the election.
Aifuobhokhan commended the returning officers for carrying out their duties in line with the law and praised the electoral officials for completing the exercise. He said the poll was generally peaceful across the state despite a few operational issues recorded in some polling units.
He explained that the challenges experienced in a few locations did not affect the overall outcome of the election.
According to him, some of the delays resulted from routine human errors, including the time taken by some voters to locate their names on the voters’ register.
The commission also announced plans to review the election process and continue engaging stakeholders to improve future local government elections in the state.
Aifuobhokhan appreciated Governor Monday Okpebholo for providing an environment that enabled the commission to carry out its responsibilities. He also commended political parties, candidates, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society groups, community leaders, youth and women groups, security agencies, election observers, media organisations and EDSIEC officials for their roles during the exercise.
He advised political parties and candidates dissatisfied with any aspect of the election to seek redress through the legal channels provided under Nigerian law instead of taking actions capable of disrupting public peace.
The EDSIEC chairman congratulated the newly elected chairmen and councillors and urged them to see their victory as an opportunity to provide responsible leadership and serve the people of their respective communities.
He also confirmed that certificates of return would be presented to the elected officials on Monday.
A total of 12 political parties participated in the election. However, major opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party, the National Democratic Coalition and the African Democratic Congress, stayed away from the poll.