…..INEC declares incumbent Governor. Aiyedatiwa winner with 366, 781 votes
….Election worst in Nigerian history, marred by vote buying – PDP
…. APC, Ganduje, Uzodimma, others congratulate winner
BY EZEOCHA NZEH
Incumbent governor, Lucky Onimisan Aiyedatiwa, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been declared winner of last Saturday’s governorshiip election in Ondo state, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
Aiyedatiwa, accordingly to the final election results that was declared by the INEC returning officer, professor Olayemi Akinwumi of the Federal University Lokoja, won in all the 18 LGAs of Ondo guber election,
Aiyedatiwa, who was the former deputy governor of the state, before he was elevated to the position of governor, following the death of his principal, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, recorded a landslide victory after polling 366,781 votes to defeat Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 117, 845 votes.
The Labour Party (LP) came a distant third position, after it managed to pull 1,192 votes
This even the election was marred by widespread vote buying across the two contending political parties, the APC and PDP, with votes selling for between N20,000 to N30,000
The INEC Returning Officer, who is also Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Lokoja, Prof Olayemi Akinwunmi, declared Aiyedatiwa as the winner of the election after polling the highest votes and satisfying other requirements of the law.
He said, “that Lucky Aiyedatiwa Orimisan of the APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,”
According to the results, Aiyedatiwa won all 18 local government areas with a margin of 248,936 votes in an election which was held across 3,933 polling units in the state.
Meanwhile, an elated Governor Aiyedatiwa, while speaking to newsmen shortly after casting his ballot on Saturday, expressed confidence in the process, saying he was “at an advantage to win.”
But the PDP candidate, Ajayi, accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of bias, even as he called for the resignation of the Chairman of the electoral umpire, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu.
Moments after the declaration of the final results in Akure, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) congratulated the Governor of Ondo State, His Excellency, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, on his re-election.
APC in a congratulatory message signed by it’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said, “your excellency’s resounding victory in the just-concluded Ondo state gubernatorial election is a clear attestation that your administration’s policies and programmes, and campaign message of hope and consolidation have resonated deeply with the electorate.
“With this renewed mandate, we are confident that you will build upon your accomplishments, and take the state to even greater heights of social and economic development for the benefit of the good people of Ondo state.
“We commend the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies for their professionalism and patriotism in the discharge of their constitutional roles during the election.
“We thank the Ondo electorate for their sustained and highly valued support of our great Party
Similarly messages were sent by the National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje, as well as the chairman of the APC Progressives Governors Forum, governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo state