Mr. Kelly Ogbalo, Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) in Edo State, has alleged that the party would have won the recent governorship election if it had been free and fair.
Speaking to reporters in Benin on Monday, Ogbalo claimed the election was riddled with irregularities, including widespread vote-buying that went unchecked by security agencies.
“Labour Party won the election but was denied victory,” Ogbalo said. “The process was marred by serious irregularities, with open vote-buying and manipulation of results. The security agencies failed to address these issues.”
When asked if the party planned to challenge the election results in court, Ogbalo said the Labour Party had not yet convened a state council meeting to decide on the matter.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Senator Monday Okpebholo of the APC the winner of the election, with 291,667 votes. Asue Ighodalo of the PDP finished second with 247,274 votes, while LP’s candidate, Mr. Olumide Akpata, secured third place with 22,763 votes.
