All you need to know about Edo governorship election 2024

2 months ago 4

Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 5 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international events.

Benin City, Edo state - The upcoming Edo governorship election has drawn a lot of anticipation from political analysts and Nigerians.

To stay updated, one needs to know the facts and figures guiding this election which include the date of the election, the number of voters, candidates, and other facts.

10 major facts to know about Edo governorship election

Facts about Edo governorship election

All you need to know about the Saturday, September 21 gubernatorial election in Edo state.

Election date

The Edo state gubernatorial election is scheduled for Saturday, 21st of September, 2024.

The election will hold across all the local government areas of the state.

Major candidates

Senator Monday Okpebholo, representing Edo Central in the national assembly is the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate.

Okpebholo promises free transportation and emphasizes developing the Edo state's mobility and economic sectors.

Asue Ighodalo is the frontline representing the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)

In his campaign manifesto titled “Pathway to Prosperity for All,” Ighodalo promised to highlight the importance of care for the vulnerable, including children, youths, and women, Vanguard reports.

The Labour Party (LP) candidate, Olumide Apkata is the former national chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

Akpata in his manifesto, outlined his revitalization plans for healthcare, education, infrastructure, and social and economic sectors of Edo state promising to do a remarkable job if elected.

Replacement of candidates

According to INEC, some political parties conducted fresh primaries to replace their earlier nominated candidates.

The Action Alliance (AA) and African Democratic Congress (ADC) replaced their Governorship candidates and their running mates.

While the African Action Congress (AAC), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Boot Party (BP), and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) replaced the running mates of their candidates.

Registered voters

Edo state has registered 2,501,318 voters with 373,030 uncollected permanent voter cards.

With this number, a lot of persons are expected to turn up for the elections due to the growing numbers of registered voters in the state.

Number of collected PVCs

INEC has recorded an outstanding number of 2,128,288 collected PVCs which shows how enthusiastic the people of Edo state are towards politics.

This number of collected PVCs will reflect greatly on the outcome of the elections.

Number of political parties participating

No fewer than 17 political parties have fielded candidates for the governorship election.

According to INEC, 16 of the candidates are male while only one is female.

Number of LGAs

Edo state has 18 local government areas divided into three senatorial districts.

Edo Central senatorial district has five LGA - Esan South-East, Igueben, Esan North-East, Esan West, and Esan Central.

The Edo South senatorial district covers seven LGA - Oredo, Ovia South West, Egor, Ovia North East, Orhionmwon, Ikpoba Okha, and Uhunmwode local government areas.

Edo North senatorial district comprises six LGA - Etsako West, Etsako East, Etsako Central, Owan West, Owan East, and Akoko Edo. The headquarters (collation centre) of Edo North is Auchi in Etsako West LGA.

Proxy contest

Edo governorship election is usually contented between the PDP and APC. But with the LP inclusion, a lot of dynamics are expected to come into play in this election.

This election could be termed as a proxy contest between the three presidential candidates of the 2023 presidential elections (President Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, and Peter Obi and also between Governor Godwin Obaseki and former governor, Adams Oshiomhole.

Zonal dynamics

The APC and PDP candidates are both from Edo Central which had only assumed the office of the deputy Governor in 1999 and the office of the Governor only for a short term between 1979 and 1983.

While Akpata is from the populous zone, Edo South, which makes it even more unpredictable.

Key issues

Almost all candidates contesting for the Edo state gubernatorial elections have similar campaign themes which centered around economic revitalization, youth development, woman empowerment, education restructuring, and food security.