The Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has been re-elected for a second term of four years.
The Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday proclaimed the Abiodun winner of the gubernatorial election conducted on Saturday after polling 276,298 ballots.
Abiodun beat the Peoples Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate in the state, Oladipupo Adebutu, who garnered 262,383 votes and 12 other candidates.
Abiodun beat Adebutu with 13,915 votes.
The returning officer of the gubernatorial election in the state, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, declared Abiodun at the collation headquarters of the commission in the state.
Adebowale claimed a total of 2,688,305 was the total registered voters while accredited voters were 666,406
Regarding the legitimate votes, Adebowale claimed a total of 645,133 votes were legal while 18,835 ballots were rejected. He stated a total of 663968 ballots were cast.
The APC won in Odeda, Egbado-North, Egbado-South, Ewekoro, Ijebu-North, Ijebu-Ode, Ipokia and Abeokuta-North. Ado-Odo/Ota, Ifo, Obafemi-Owode and Imeko-Afon local government districts of the state.
The PDP won in Abeokuta-South, Ogun Waterside, Ijebu-North/East, Ikenne, Ijebu-East, Remo-North, Odogbolu and Sagamu.
Other results are: Accord Party polled 724 votes; Action Alliance 382; African Action Congress 2613; Action Democratic Congress 94,753; Action Democratic Party 2770; Allied People Movement 2066; Action Peoples Party 207; New Nigeria Peoples Party 1394; National Rescue Movement 779; Peoples Redemption Party 248 and Social Democratic Party 515.
However, before Abiodun was proclaimed as the winner of the vote, PDP collation agent, Sunkanmi Oyejide, urged the electoral umpire against pronouncing the winner of the race.
Oyejide said the INEC should examine a section in the Electoral Act (amended) that directs the commission to announce a rerun in the event of total rejected votes outnumbered the lead margin.
This was raised immediately after the Sagamu collation officer, Prof. Oluwagboyega Afolabi, revealed the scores of the political parties in the council.
Afolabi had indicated that 15 voting units were cancelled as a consequence of violence during the gubernatorial election on Saturday.
The PDP agent nevertheless mobservedcontinued the submission of the copy of the results.
Oyejide claimed there were no less than 33,750 votes in Sagamu, Ijebu-Ode, Ikenne, Ijebu-North and Ogun Waterside and requested the commission to check into it.
He stated that his party has a petition for the commission.
While objecting Yejide said, “The electoral act 2022, Section 24 Sub-Section 3 says where an election has commenced and there is reason to believe that there is or has been substantial destruction of election in a polling unit or constituency or it is impossible to continue with the election, occasioned by the threat to peace and security of electoral officials and materials.
“Electoral officials and materials should be stressed in the example of Remo where BVAS did not operate and I reasoned it out. The commission shall postpone the election and establish another date for the continuation of the election or the procedure.
“Secondly, if we invoke the concept of lead of margin established in the electoral act 2022, the rejected votes according to results provided to local government are significantly more than the lead of margin.
“This merely to notify you after you are finished with your final collation and what transpired is proven to be true then you will know that the election will be inconclusive and a rerun should be called where necessary.”
The petition, a copy acquired by our reporter, headed “Petition against purposeful disenfranchisement of a significant number of voters in several local governments of Ogun State,” dated March 18, 2023, was sent to INEC National Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu.
The petition states “We write to remind your authorities of the above-mentioned situation.
“You will recall that the Commission is aware of the level of thuggery planned and orchestrated by the All Progressive Congress to unleash mayhem in some polling units across the state to destabilise innocent voters from freely exercising their voting rights as a result of planned and well-executed action.
“We are aware that the concept of margin of lead as defined by the Commission in Section 24(3) is in effect, impacted by the inability of the population bigger than the reflected lead between the supposed winner of the election and the runner-up. Hence, a re-run is appropriate to redress this injustice.
“We, therefore, request the Commission to summon this principle and declare this election inconclusive.”
Responding to the objection, the returning officer, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, said the concerns have already been looked at.
Adebowale added, “I have attempted to examine our records and I want to stress that what he asserted is a contradiction with what we have as records.
“But, if it is discovered to be inaccurate. INEC has seven days to reconsider its decision.”
