The Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) is set to conduct a councillorship by-election in 63 wards across 15 local government areas of the state. This development follows a resolution by the Edo State House of Assembly, which mandated the electoral body to fill vacant seats allegedly abandoned by elected councillors from the September 2, 2023, local government elections.
According to the All Progressives Congress (APC), the by-election will be held in 63 wards, with a document released by the party disclosing the names of local governments and wards where the elections will take place. In Oredo Local Government Area, the election will be conducted in all 12 wards. Notably, Oredo is the only local government where the elected councillors did not impeach the council chairman, Tom Obaseki, and also did not defect to the APC.
The by-election is also scheduled to take place in other local government areas, including Orhionmwon, Ikpoba Okha, Egor, Ovia North-East, Uhunmwode, Etsako West, Etsako East, Akoko-Edo, Owan East, Esan South-East, Esan North-East, Esan West, Igueben, and Esan Central. Esan Central is the local government of the state governor, Monday Okpebholo. The only local government areas where the election will not be conducted are Owan West, Etsako Central, and Ovia South-West.
The EDSIEC Chairman, Jonathan Aifuobhokhan, had earlier announced that the by-election would be conducted in 49 wards across nine local governments, with 1485 polling units. However, the APC’s statement contradicts this, stating that the election will be held in 63 wards across 15 local governments.
The Edo State House of Assembly’s resolution to conduct the by-election follows the suspension of 18 local government chairmen and deputies on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on December 17, 2024. Since then, two Heads of Local Government Administration have been appointed as acting chairmen of the council.
The by-election is scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 20, 2025. The election is significant, as it aims to fill the vacant seats and ensure that the local governments are fully represented. With the electoral process underway, the people of Edo State await the outcome of the by-election, which is expected to have a significant impact on the state’s local government administration.
