Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressive Congress (APC), has won its first big electoral test since Bola Tinubu became president last year, despite the dire state of the country’s economy.
In the southern Edo state, which had previously been in the hands of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Monday Okpebholo defeated the PDP’s Asue Ighodalo.
He gained 291,667 votes against 247,274 for Ighodalo.
However, the PDP has complained of fraud and vowed to challenge the result in court.
“The way these elections are going, they are probably going to be the worst elections in the history of this country,” said PDP candidate Ighodalo.
The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa), which monitored the election, accused both the PDP and APC of vote-buying and also said election official had been intimidated in some areas.
Although the PDP had previously been in power in Edo, the state has been in the hands of the APC for many years so its victory isn’t necessarily a huge surprise.
But given Nigeria’s economic situation, some analysts had thought the APC could lose.
The country is experiencing its worst economic crisis in a generation with annual inflation at 34% – the highest in almost three decades.
Food prices have risen even faster – for example, in the commercial hub, Lagos, yams, a staple food, cost almost four times more than they did a year ago.
Last month, massive protests were held across the country over the economic situation.
Political analyst Muzammil Yakasai told the BBC that election violence had prevented some people from voting.
“I don’t think the election in itself is a reflection of how people in Edo state and Nigeria see the APC at the moment.”
Another test awaits the APC in another governorship election in the south-western Ondo state in November.
Who is Monday Okpebholo?
Before his latest victory, he represented Edo Central as a senator at the National Assembly in an election he won last year.
Born in 1970, Okpebholo, has a degree in Business Administration from the University of Abuja and a masters in policy and leadership studies from the same institution.
Married with two children, the 54-year-old was charged earlier this year over allegations that he had falsified the date on his birth certificate.
He has not commented on the matter which is still in court. However, now that he’s a governor, he has immunity from prosecution.
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