The U.S. Mission in Nigeria has called on the the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to support the processes to challenge the results of the Saturday gubernatorial election in Edo State.
In a statement on Tuesday by the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Richard Mills Jr., the American government also called on the people of Edo to remain calm.
INEC had declared Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the keenly contested Saturday, September 21, 2024 governorship election in the South-South state.
Okpebholo, 54, secured 291,667 votes to defeat Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who got 247,274 votes and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) who came a distant third in the race with 22,763 votes.
Fourteen other candidates contested the seat but got less than the three frontline candidates.
The main opposition parties have since rejected the results, claiming they were not a reflection of the votes of the electorates and have threatened to go to court.
“The U.S. Mission in Nigeria commends the people of Edo State for the widely peaceful conduct of gubernatorial elections on September 21 and reiterates calls for calm following the announcement of results.
“We commend Governor (Godwin) Obaseki’s appeal for peace and urge all stakeholders, including INEC, to support established electoral processes and respect legal procedures to challenge results.
“Transparency and due process are crucial to maintaining public confidence in any democratic system. The United States reaffirms our commitment to supporting free, fair, transparent, and credible elections in Nigeria and will continue to monitor the situation closely,” the statement said in part.