17th April, 2011
As predicted by P.M.NEWS last Friday, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Goodluck Jonathan has won the election by a wide margin in Edo State.
Jonathan, who is currently the president of the country, led other candidates by winning 542,173 of the total number of votes cast in the election conducted in the state.
He was closely followed by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate, Nuhu Ribadu, who polled 54,252.
Muhammadu Buhari of the Congress for Progressive Change, polled 17,795 while Ibrahim Shekarau of the All Nigeria Peoples Party scored 2,174 of the total votes cast according to the result released this morning by the Returning Officer of the state, Professor Eghosa Osaghae.
The result further showed that the PDC scored 1,179, the PNP and the ADC scored 597 each, the PPP 573, NCP 327, Fresh Democratic Part ; 316, UNPD 188, BNPP 140, NTP 139, NNDP136, APS 126, NPPP 125, LDPN 116, ARP 88, SDMP 81, and HDP 80.
The election was peaceful in the state and voters applauded this development.
Many of the challenges faced in the National Assembly election were managed effectively during the exercise.
Speaking about the conduct of the election in the state, the Vice Presidential candidate of the ANPP, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, who voted at Oredo Ward two, Staff Training Centre, GRA, Benin City, commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for finding solution to the various complaints of the electorate in the last election.
“During the last election, my wife could not vote because her name could not be found in the voter register, but this is not so now.
“I hope other elections would be like this,” he said.
Though hopeful of victory, he also said the outcome of the election would actually reflect the wish of the people.
Reminded that he had always advocated for the presidency coming to the South-South as the chairman of the South-South Peoples Assembly (SSPA), Chief Oyegun said he actually advocated for a South-South person becoming the president.
However, he did not advocate for the present choice of the PDP since Jonathan found himself in the saddle by happenstance.
He also said he decided to pitch tent with the ANPP candidate because he knew that through him the problems of the Niger-Delta would be solved.
The Esama of Benin, Chief Osawaru Igbinedion, who also voted in the Ward, commended the electoral body, but warned whoever becomes the country’s president to abide by the wish of the people.
According to him, the people of the country have become tired of “one step forward, 10 steps backward.
“He needs to renew the confidence of the people in their country.
“As at 1968, when I was visiting Japan, nobody knew that the country would rise suddenly, but see it today.
“It is even a shame that at this point in the life of this country, we still went to print the ballot materials in China.”
As at the time of filing this report, the political parties had not issued any statement concerning the election, but a PM NEWS learnt that chieftains of the PDP in the state have passed the message of their victory to the president.
By Eromosele Ebhomele/Benin