The Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) has declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of all the chairmanship and councillorship seats contested in Saturday’s local government election across the state.
Announcing the results on Sunday, EDSIEC Chairman, Johnson Aifuobhokhan, said the ruling party won all 18 local government chairmanship positions and all 192 councillorship seats in the election conducted across the state’s 18 local government areas and 192 political wards.
A total of 12 political parties participated in the election.
According to the electoral commission, the poll was conducted peacefully despite a few operational challenges recorded in some locations.
Aifuobhokhan said the issues experienced during the exercise were minor and did not affect the credibility or overall outcome of the election.
He maintained that there was no reason to cancel the election in any part of the state because the challenges reported were not significant enough to alter the results.
“The electoral process comprising accreditation, voting, sorting, counting, collation and declaration of results was conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Edo State Local Government Electoral Law, the 2022 Electoral Law and the amended 2026 Electoral Law Guideline issued by the Commission and other applicable regulations governing the conduct of local government elections,” he said.
The EDSIEC chairman explained that after voting ended, the results were collated at ward and local government collation centres before they were announced by the appropriate returning officers.
“Following the completion of the collation process at the various wards and local government collation centres, the duly appointed Ward Returning Officers and the Local Government Returning Officers announced and declared the results in their respective jurisdictions,” he added.
Based on the official results released by the commission, the APC secured victory in every chairmanship contest across the 18 local government areas.
The party also won all 192 councillorship seats, giving it complete control of the local government councils following the election.
Aifuobhokhan commended electoral officials for carrying out their duties professionally and in line with the law.
He said the commission was satisfied with the performance of its returning officers, whom he praised for conducting the exercise fairly and impartially.
“The Commission is satisfied that the Returning Officers carried out their statutory responsibilities professionally, impartially and in accordance with the law,” he stated.
He further noted that although there were minor operational challenges in a few polling areas, the issues did not substantially affect the conduct of the election or its outcome.
“Overall, the election was conducted peacefully across the state. While there were minor operational challenges in a few locations, these did not substantially affect the overall conduct or outcome of the election.”
The commission also pledged to continue improving its electoral process through regular reviews and consultations with political parties and other stakeholders.
According to Aifuobhokhan, EDSIEC remains committed to strengthening transparency, efficiency and public confidence in future local government elections.
The commission urged candidates and political parties dissatisfied with the outcome of the election to seek legal redress rather than resort to violence or actions capable of disrupting public peace.
He reminded aggrieved parties that Nigeria’s electoral laws provide channels for resolving election disputes through the courts and election tribunals.
The declaration marks the conclusion of the local government election held across Edo State, where voters elected chairmen and councillors who will administer the affairs of the 18 local government councils.
Local government elections are conducted by State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) under the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, unlike governorship, presidential and National Assembly elections, which are conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The councils play a vital role in grassroots governance by overseeing primary healthcare, rural roads, markets, sanitation, community development and other local services.
The outcome of the election means that the APC will control all the local government councils in Edo State if the results remain unchanged after any legal challenges.
The clean sweep is expected to strengthen the party’s political structure at the grassroots and boost its influence ahead of future elections in the state.
However, local government elections in Nigeria have often generated debate over their credibility, with opposition parties in several states frequently accusing state electoral commissions of favouring ruling parties.
Civil society organisations and election observers have repeatedly called for reforms to improve the independence of State Independent Electoral Commissions and ensure greater public confidence in local government elections.
The National Assembly has also received several proposals in recent years seeking constitutional amendments that would transfer the conduct of local government elections from state electoral commissions to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Supporters of the proposal argue that it would improve transparency and create uniform standards for elections at all levels of government, while opponents maintain that local government elections are constitutionally assigned to state electoral commissions.
Although no major incidents of violence were officially reported during the Edo election, political observers are expected to monitor post-election developments closely, particularly if opposition parties decide to challenge the outcome in court.
For now, the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission has declared the election concluded and reaffirmed that the process complied with the relevant laws guiding local government elections in the state.