Rita Odafe
Olumide Akpata
Olumide Akpata Discusses Election Results
Olumide Akpata, the Labour Party’s candidate for the Edo State governorship in 2024, has shared his reasons for not yet disputing the election results.
After finishing third in the recent polls reported by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Akpata indicated that he believes the election was plagued by substantial irregularities.
Recently, INEC announced Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the election winner.
Okpebholo received 291,667 votes, surpassing Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who had 247,274 votes, while Akpata secured only 22,763 votes.
In an interview with Channels TV on Wednesday, Akpata expressed his dissatisfaction with the election process that led to Okpebholo’s victory.
Regarding the possibility of a legal challenge, he stated that his legal team is currently assessing their next steps. He emphasized that his decision will be made in consultation with his party and legal advisors.
“My approach will involve discussions between the Labour Party and myself on whether to challenge the election results,” he noted.
“I plan to meet with my attorneys, and the Labour Party will do the same. Together, we will decide if we should proceed with a challenge,” he added.
“It’s crucial for me to take a step back and let my lawyers, based on the evidence we have and continue to gather, guide this decision,” Akpata concluded.
