By Lucky Isibor
The All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmanship candidate for Egor Local Government Area, Hon. Osaro Nosa Eribo, has expressed satisfaction with the conduct of Saturday’s local government election, describing the voter turnout as unprecedented and predicting a landslide victory for his party.
Speaking with journalists after monitoring the exercise, Eribo said he was impressed by the large number of voters who came out to exercise their franchise, noting that the turnout distinguished the election from previous local government polls in the state.
“For me, I cannot believe that this is a local government election. The way people have turned out to vote is remarkable,” he said. “I’ve been doing local government elections, but for this one, I think it’s different from any other election that we’ve done. In Edo State, and Egor in particular, the turnout was very impressive.”
The APC candidate attributed the enthusiasm of voters to his relationship with the people and urged residents to sustain the spirit of political participation in future elections.
“I want to urge the people of Egor that, just as they turned out today, in subsequent elections they should also try and appreciate all the other candidates that are contesting,” he said.
Expressing confidence in the outcome of the poll, Eribo said he expected nothing short of an overwhelming victory for the APC.
“I’m not expecting anything other than APC getting 95–98% of this election because of what I’ve done so far, and because of what the Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, is also doing,” he stated.
He also thanked the electorate for their peaceful participation, saying, “I want to thank the people of Egor Local Government and Edo State in general for turning up today to exercise their franchise. I commend them for their effort.”
Also speaking, the APC vice-chairmanship candidate for Egor, Hon. Kelly Isokpan, described the election as peaceful and orderly.
“I thank Almighty God for making the process smooth and peaceful. As at now, everything is in order. Voting is going on smoothly,” Isokpan said.
He also commended the turnout, describing it as “impressive” and “massive,” while expressing confidence that the APC would emerge victorious.
“Expectation? Ah, it’s victory. It’s APC everywhere,” he declared.
Meanwhile, the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, who monitored the election across parts of the state, said security agencies had recorded a peaceful exercise with no cause for concern.
“You can see for yourself that the election is going smoothly. People are coming out in large numbers, which is very encouraging, and we don’t have any cause for alarm,” the police commissioner said.
Agbonika added that security monitors from the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters and other states were deployed to observe the process, while security teams continued to monitor polling activities across Edo South, Edo Central and Edo North.
As voting continued across the state, reports from security agencies indicated that the exercise was proceeding peacefully in the monitored areas.