The results of the March 18 state house of assembly elections in Edo State saw members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) claiming 12 of the available 24 seats. This result shows that the party will occupy at least 50 percent of the seats in the state house of assembly from 2023 to 2027.
However, the seats occupied by the PDP can increase as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state declared the results of three constituencies inconclusive.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) won eight seats, representing 33.33 percent of the total seats in the state assembly. The last seat was won by the Labour Party (LP).
The results show that the PDP claimed the majority of the seats in the Edo State Assembly for the first time in four election cycles.
In 2011, the election result in the state saw most seats going to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) after the election. The ACN won 20 of the available seats. Thus, the party won 83.3 percent of the available seats in 2011. The PDP got the remaining four seats in 2011.
At the general election held on April 11, 2015, APC won 21 of the available 24 seats. The party thus occupied 87.5 percent of the seats in 2015. The PDP got the remaining three seats.
The March 9, 2019 state house of assembly elections in Edo State saw APC claiming all 24 seats in the assembly.
However, the dominance of APC was heavily contested in 2023 as the party lost its supremacy after the March 18 elections. Also, the two-party composition of the state assembly was broken as the assembly will have members from three parties in 2023.
However, the last four years have been a rough ride for members of the assembly in the assembly, most of whom were not inaugurated due to legal issues and scuffles with Governor Godwin Obaseki.
In the March 18 election, the LP sneaked into the assembly by winning Oredo West to break the two-party composition of the state assembly.
The affected constituencies that have been declared inconclusive are: Egor, Oredo East, and Ovia South West.
The PDP won in Akoko Edo 1, Akoko Edo II, Esan Central, Esan North East II, Esan South East, Igueben and Ikpoba-Okha. The party also won in Uhunmwode, Orhionmwon II, Ovia North East I, Ovia North East II, and Owan West.
On the other hand, the APC won in Esan North East I, Etsako Central, Etsako East, Etsako West I, Etsako West II, Owan East, and Orhionmwon I.