Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the incumbent governor of Ondo State, has been declared the winner of the state’s gubernatorial election held on Saturday. He won all 18 local government areas of the state.Aiyedatiwa secured a decisive victory with 366,781 votes, defeating his closest rival, Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 117,845 votes. Professor Olayemi Akinwumi, the returning officer for the election, announced the results in Akure, the state capital.
Aiyedatiwa’s victory was expected after he won the governorship poll in all 18 local government areas of the state. Aiyedatiwa became the governor of Ondo State after the death of former governor Rotimi Akeredolu on December 27, 2023.Before the election, Aiyedatiwa expressed optimism about his chances, citing his accomplishments during his 10 months as governor.
The PDP’s Agboola Ajayi accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of conducting “a very shameful exercise” and called for the resignation of INEC’s chairman, Professor Yakubu Mahmood.
“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.”
Aiyedatiwa’s victory solidifies his position as the governor of Ondo State. The election results were announced on Sunday, November 17, 2024.
Source: https://pulse.ng/