Edo governorship election was widely peaceful, says US

The United States has commended the conduct of the governorship election in Edo state.

Monday Okpebholo, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was declared the winner of the election held on September 21.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said Okpebholo secured 291,667 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who got 247,274 votes.

Olumide Akpata, candidate of the Labour Party (LP), came a distant third with 22,763 votes.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Richard Mills, US ambassador to Nigeria, said the election was “widely peaceful”.

“The U.S. Mission in Nigeria commends the people of Edo State for the widely peaceful conduct of gubernatorial elections on September 21 and reiterates calls for calm following the announcement of results,” the statement reads.

“We commend Governor Obaseki’s appeal for peace and urge all stakeholders, including INEC, to support established electoral processes and respect legal procedures to challenge results.

“Transparency and due process are crucial to maintaining public confidence in any democratic system.”

Mills added that the US is committed to supporting free, fair, transparent, and credible elections in Nigeria.