Aiyedatiwa Wins Ondo Governorship Election By Landslide
After months of intense campaigns and political intrigues, Ondo residents have chosen their governor for the next four years – Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
The Returning Officer for the election Olayemi Akinwumi, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State declared Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the election on Sunday, extending the governor’s stay at the Government House in Alagbaka, Akure.
Aiyedatiwa, the incumbent governor of the Sunshine State polled 366,781 votes to defeat his closest rival and a former deputy governor of the state Ajayi Agboola who flew the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag. He scored 117,845 votes, more than twice lower than the APC candidate.
“That Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa of the APC having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” the returning officer said at exactly 2:30 pm at the INEC collation centre in Akure.
The declaration came hours after the collation of results for the election began in the early hours of Sunday. Although the collation centre went on breaks, the APC took a commanding lead with over 200,000 votes ahead of the PDP.
The final results showed that the APC won the election in a landslide, clearing all 18 local government areas.
Aiyedatiwa’s Ascension To Power
Having been declared the winner of the election, Aiyedatiwa is set to extend his stay at the helm of affairs in the oil-rich state. He – a former deputy governor – ascended to power on December 27th, 2023 after Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s death.
Akeredolu died on the same day after a lengthy battle with illness and had before his demise transmitted power to Aiyedatiwa.
He thereafter won the APC’s ticket for the 2024 governorship election in Ondo, pitting him against 17 other candidates including Agboola who was also a former deputy to Akeredolu during his first term in office.
Aiyedatiwa faced stiff competition from Agboola in the leadup to the election but in his campaigns, he promised a better economy and welfare package for workers across the state. The governor pointed to his signing of N73,000 as minimum wage – higher than the N70,000 earmarked by the Federal Government – as a testament to this.
PDP Alleges Compromise
Voting on election day began early with INEC officials arriving at the polling units at dawn. The exercise was largely peaceful with little or known cases of violence.
Governor Aiyedatiwa after casting his vote expressed confidence about his victory, hinging his hopes on the good “works” of his government.
“I believe I’m in an advantaged position to win this election because of the work that I have done in the last 10 months since I assumed office as the governor of the state,” he said.
“We traversed the entire 18 local governments; and visited communities all across.”
But the PDP candidate has accused INEC of compromising the election. He accused the electoral body of deliberating slowing the process – a ploy to rig the poll.
“The system is compromised and I have had a series of calls today. People are complaining about vote buying and the BVAS is not working,” he said on Saturday after voting.
“It is a very shameful exercise and I think Nigerians should just call on the chairman of the electoral commission Prof Mahmood Yakubu. If you cannot do the job, please just honourably resign. He should resign. This is embarrassing. It [election] is totally compromised.”
Observers Decry Vote-Buying
Though the election went on smoothly, observers believe it was marred by vote-buying across the state. They said the trend went on “openly and unchecked”.
“Situation Room notes the trend of persistent vote trading during elections in Nigeria,” the Situation Room said in its assessment of the poll.
“This situation has continued unabatedly, and heightened in this election. It is worrying that, despite the high presence of security personnel at the polling units, vote trading went on openly and unchecked during the voting hours.”
Tinubu Congratulates Aiyedatiwa, Asks Aggrieved Candidates To Seek Redress In Court
President Bola Tinubu on Sunday congratulated Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa on his electoral victory in the just concluded Ondo poll.
Aiyedatiwa, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) emerged winner of the contest after polling 366,781 votes to beat Ajayi Agboola of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who raked in 117,845 votes.
Shortly after he was declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Tinubu called on aggrieved candidates of other parties to seek redress in court.
“The President urges candidates dissatisfied with the outcome of the election to explore the opportunities provided by the judicial system to seek redress on areas of conflict,” presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, said in a statement.
Tinubu expressed happiness with the outcome of the exercise and congratulated the electoral body, police and other security agencies for their roles in the electoral body.
The President is satisfied with “Aiyedatiwa and other candidates of the 17 political parties for the maturity and sense of purpose demonstrated during the campaigns and the election, attributing the success of the polls to the civility in the state.”
“President Tinubu believes the Ondo State election was another litmus test of the capacity of the Independent National Electoral Commission, affirming that the electoral body justified the confidence of the people with early preparations, deployment of staff and materials, and handling of the electoral process.
“The President also commends INEC for the efficiency of uploading more than 98 per cent of results on the same day of the elections.”
