Gov. Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) whobis also the Incumbent governor of Edo state, has defeated Mr Osagie Ize-Iyamu, to win a second term as governor of the State.
Obaseki was returned elected after polling the highest number of votes in the keenly-contested poll conducted on Saturday.
Channels television reports that INEC Returning Officer for the poll declared the governor as the winner on Sunday at the office of the electoral umpire in Benin City, which doubled as the final collation centre.
The governor secured 307,955 of the total votes, 84,336 more votes than his closest rival Ize-Iyamu, who got 223, 619 votes.
A total of 14 political parties fielded candidates to jostle for the office of the governor in the state.
It is the first governorship poll to be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) since the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.
While it held in some places in line with the COVID-19 protocols of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the compliance level was very low in other polling areas.
This follows announcement by the coalition of all the results from 18 Local Government Areas of Edo where the election was conducted.
Governor Obaseki’s victory comes on the back of a tensed and heated electioneering process that saw him dump the APC after being disqualified from the primaries, join the PDP and overcome stiff opposition and criticism by members of his former party, including former ally and his predecessor Adams Oshiomhole.
However, It was a dramatic process that saw Obaseki run a governorship race against Ize-Iyamu for a second time as the two once faced each other four years ago when both men contested against each other in 2016, albeit with Obasek flying the flag of the APC and Ize-Iyamu flying that of the PDP.
The campaign, characterised by drama and controversy that did not spare the State House of Assembly, was tempered by the intervention of the Oba of Benin to calm fears that the poll could turn violence heightened.
Curled: channelstv