The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday announced that the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate and current Ondo State governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, emerged as the winner of the state’s governorship election held on Saturday. The results were declared at 2:30 pm by the Returning Officer, Professor Olayemi Akinwunmi, Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Lokoja, at the INEC headquarters in Akure. Aiyedatiwa secured victories in all 18 local government areas of the state. Following his victory, congratulatory messages began pouring in, led by President Bola Tinubu and former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The report covers the recent Ondo State gubernatorial election, highlighting the key events, reactions, and results. The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, emerged victorious with 366,781 votes, defeating the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Agboola Ajayi, who scored 117,845 votes. Despite criticisms and accusations of vote manipulation by Ajayi, Aiyedatiwa’s victory was widely praised by party stakeholders and various leaders, including President Bola Tinubu and former President Muhammadu Buhari. Civil society organizations noted issues like vote-buying, despite overall timely conduct and efficiency by INEC. The election reaffirms the APC’s dominance in the state and raises expectations for continued governance and development initiatives under Aiyedatiwa’s leadership. The excerpt provides an overview of criticisms and issues surrounding the recent Ondo State governorship election
Civil Society Groups’ Observations:
Yiaga Africa and other civil society organizations criticized political parties and candidates for engaging in vote buying, undermining the integrity of the electoral process.
Representatives from the Civil Society Situation Room and the CDD reported infractions, including instances of vote buying, with specific cases such as police officers allegedly arguing over money distributed by party members.
PDP’s Response:
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) denounced the election, labeling it a “sham” and alleging widespread manipulation by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The PDP accused the APC of using poverty as a tool to influence voters through monetized vote buying, calling for national and international attention to address these practices.
The PDP plans to review the election results further and consider appropriate actions.
Internal PDP Concerns:
Kola Ologbondiyan, a former PDP spokesperson, criticized the party’s acting national chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, blaming him for the party’s poor performance in off-season elections.
He warned that if a substantive national chairman is not elected, the party may continue to face losses in upcoming elections.
HURIWA’s Condemnation:
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) condemned the widespread vote buying and bribery observed during the Ondo election.
HURIWA highlighted the dangers of manipulated electoral victories, noting that such practices undermine democracy and reduce voters to mere commodities. The group urged Nigerians to resist selling their votes to protect democratic values.
The overall sentiment from civil society groups, the opposition party, and pro-democracy advocates indicates significant dissatisfaction with the conduct of the election, primarily pointing to issues of vote buying, manipulation, and a lack of electoral integrity.
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