President Bola Tinubu congratulated Monday Okpebholo on his victory in Edo’s governorship election.
Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, won the election with 291,667 votes, defeating his closest challenger, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who received 247,274 votes.
The Labour Party’s (LP) candidate, Olumide Akpata, finished in third place with 22, 763 votes.
Tinubu, in a statement issued on Sunday by Bayo Onanuga, the president’s special assistant on media and strategy, urged Okpebholo not to take credit for his victory.
The president said Okpebholo’s victory demonstrates the people’s support for the APC.
Tinubu commended the APC leaders for working hard to achieve victory in Edo state, while urging aggrieved parties to seek redress in court.
The statement reads:
“President Bola Tinubu congratulates Senator Monday Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in Saturday’s Edo State governorship election, on his victory at the polls.”
“He urges Senator Okpebholo not to gloat over his victory but to see it as a challenging call to service. He encourages him to demonstrate magnanimity by reaching out to his political rivals and uniting the people of Edo State to ensure its development.
“I commend the INEC and our security agencies for working round the clock to conduct a successful, peaceful and largely hitch-free exercise.”
Meanwhile, in a statement sent by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, former President Muhammadu Buhari also congratulated Okpebholo on his election victory.
Buhari, who hailed the results as a “historic electoral victory,” asked the victors and losers to collaborate to strengthen democracy in the state.
The former president also praised law enforcement officials for their efforts to ensure a peaceful election.
Buhari told journalists:
“Congratulations to the APC and the election winner, Senator Monday Okpebholo on the historic electoral victory and my warmest wishes for a new lease of life for Edo State and its people.”