Political history will today be made in Edo State as 1,925,105 registered voters will throng to the various polling booths to cast their votes to elect a governor that would pilot the affairs of the state in the next four years.
BusinessDay reports that the governorship election earlier slated for September 10 was however rescheduled to hold September 28, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over security threat reports by the Department of State Security (DSS) and the Nigeria Police.
The major contenders for the Dennis Osadebey Avenue, Edo State seat of power, which would be vacate this November 11, following the expiration of the incumbent governor, Adams Oshiomhole second tenure are Godwin Obaseki, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate and Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Nineteenth political parties are fielding candidates for the election. The two major parties zoned the governorship position to Edo South Senatorial District.
The 2016 governorship election would make it the fifth governorship election conducted in the state since the current political dispensation, after the exit of military intervention in politics.
In 1999 political dispensation, Lucky Igbinedion of the PDP defeated Lucky Imasuen of the All Peoples Party (APP). In 2003, Lucky Igbinedion of the PDP again defeated Roland Owie of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).
In 2007, Oserhiemen Osunbor of the PDP defeated Adams Oshiomhole of Action Congress. But on November 11, 2008, election appeal court affirming the tribunal judgment, upturned the election and declared Adams Oshiomhole winner of the election.
The court declared that the Action Congress and its candidate scored majority of valid votes cast in the April 14, 2007.
In the election, INEC had earlier declared PDP and its candidate winner with 329,740 votes while AC and its candidate scored 194,472 votes. But the final results by the courts indicated that AC polled 166,577 votes and PDP 129,027 votes.
The July 15, 2012 governorship election, Adams Oshiomhole of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), who contested for a second term defeated Charles Airhiavbere of PDP with 477,478 votes as against 144,235 votes of PDP.
As today’s governorship election heralds the end of Oshiomhole’s government, governorship candidates especially those of APC, PDP, and APGA have traversed all nooks and crannies of the 192 wards to canvass for electorate votes.
On the other hand, registered eligible electorate are enthusiast to cast votes for their preferred candidate.
The electorate, who spoke with BusinessDay, said they would defile all odds, either security or intimidation, to cast their votes.
Authorities of the INEC have also indicated their willingness and resolved to conduct free, fair and credible election.
As part of the preparation, it has since delivery non-sensitive and sensitive electoral materials to all the INEC headquarters in the 18 local government areas from the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Ad-hoc electoral staff have been trained in additional to the regular staff of the commission deployed from some neighbouring states, including the national headquarters of the body.
The security agencies have also put in place all the necessary machinery for the protection of electorate and the electoral materials.
The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Joshak Habila in charge of operations in Benin City, disclosed that a total of 25,000 personnel had been deployed, 550 patrol vans, 54 coastal buses, additional 10 Armoured Personnel Carriers, were to be deployed to cover all the polling units across the state, rack centres, collation centres, riverine areas and difficult terrains.
The police personnel are to be drawn from police mobile, the counter-terrorism, the armament unit, among others, while the team would be led by a DIG, assisted by the AIG and three commissioners.
The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp would deployed 20,000 personnel, the Nigeria Army 1,900 personnel as well as other paramilitary such as Immigration. Security personnel have since been deployed to their various local government headquarters for the purpose of the election.
With the two-day holiday declared by the state government, registered eligible voters had started travelling to their various locality to participate in the election.
