By NewsBits
The Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has been re-elected for a second term of four years. The Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday declared the Abiodun winner of the governorship election held on Saturday after polling 276,298 votes. Abiodun defeated the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in the state, Oladipupo Adebutu, who polled 262,383 votes and 12 other candidates.
Abiodun defeated Adebutu with 13,915 votes. The returning officer of the governorship election in the state, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, declared Abiodun at the collation centre of the commission in the state.
Adebowale said a total of 2,688,305 was the total registered voters while accredited voters were 666,406. On the valid votes, Adebowale said a total of 645,133 votes were valid while 18,835 votes were rejected. He said a total of 663968 votes were cast.
The APC won in Odeda, Egbado-North, Egbado-South, Ewekoro, Ijebu-North, Ijebu-Ode, Ipokia, Abeokuta-North. Ado-Odo/Ota, Ifo, Obafemi-Owode and Imeko-Afon local government areas 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.
Meanwhile, before Abiodun was announced as the winner of the poll, PDP collation agent, Sunkanmi Oyejide, cautioned the electoral umpire against declaring the winner of the election.
Oyejide said the INEC should consider a clause in the Electoral Act (amended) that orders the commission to declare a rerun in the case of total rejected votes outnumbered the lead margin. This was raised shortly after the Sagamu collation officer, Prof. Oluwagboyega Afolabi, presented the scores of the political parties in the council.
Afolabi had said that 15 polling units were cancelled as a result of violence during the governorship election on Saturday. The PDP agent however raised an observation against further submission of the copy of the results.
Oyejide said there were no fewer than 33,750 voters in Sagamu, Ijebu-Ode, Ikenne, Ijebu-North and Ogun Waterside and asked the commission to look into it. He added that his party has a petition for the commission.
While raising the objection, 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 underlined in the case of Remo where BVAS did not function, and I argued it out. The commission shall suspend the election and appoint another date for the continuation of the election or the process.
“Secondly, if we invoke the principle of lead of margin enshrine in the electoral act 2022, the rejected votes according to results submitted to local government are far higher than the lead of margin.
“This just to inform you when you are through with your final collation and what happened is found to be true that you will know that the election shall be inconclusive, and a rerun should be ordered where necessary.”
The petition, a copy obtained by our correspondent, titled “Petition against deliberate disenfranchisement of a large number of voters in some local governments of Ogun State,” dated March 18, 2023, was addressed to INEC National Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu. The petition reads “We write to remind your authority of the above-mentioned issue.
“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 principle of margin of lead as established by the Commission in Section 24(3) is in effect, affected by the inability of the population greater than the reflected lead between the assumed winner of the election and the runner-up. Therefore, a re-run is appropriate to address this injustice.
“We, therefore, implore the Commission to evoke this principle and declare this election inconclusive.” Reacting to the protest, the returning officer, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, said the complaints have already been looked into.
Adebowale said, “I have tried to check our records and I want to say that everything he said is at variance with what we have as records. But, if it is found to be incorrect. INEC has seven days to review its decision.”
