*INEC to declare results of 5 LGAs today
*PDP’s Ajayi urges commission’s chairman to resign
*Suspected vote-buyer arrested, PSC decries vote-buying
CHIGOZIE AMADI
The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday maintained a clear lead in the results declared in 13 out of the 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Ondo State in the governorship election held in the state.
Ondo State residents came out in their numbers across the 18 LGAs to exercise their franchise in the election, which was largely peaceful but characterised by vote-buying.
According to the results declared in 13 out of the 18 LGAs in the state by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who is the candidate of the APC, scored 259,851 votes while his closest rival and governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Agboola Ajayi, got 81,031 votes.
The commission has promised that the collation of results for the remaining five LGAs would commence by 5am today.
However, Ajayi has accused INEC and the security agencies of compromising the election and urged the Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to resign.
Security operatives also arrested a suspected vote-buyer during the election just as the Police Service Commission (PSC) reported that instances of vote-buying were recorded at some polling centres during the election.
The results declared by the commission showed that in Akoko North East, APC garnered 25,657 votes to defeat the PDP candidate, who scored 5,072 votes.
In Idanre LGA, the APC also won with 9,114 votes against the PDP’s 8,940 votes, while in Ifedore LGA, the APC defeated the PDP, scoring 14, 157 against PDP’s 5,897 votes.
In Akoko South West, the APC also won with 29,700 votes, while the PDP got 5,517 votes, while in Akoko North West, the APC recorded a landslide victory with 25,010 votes against the PDP’s 5,502 votes.
The APC also won in Akoko South East, with 12,140 votes while the PDP got 2,692, while the ruling party also defeated the PDP in Ileoluji/Okeigbo LGA with 16,600 votes against PDP’s 4,442.
In Owo LGA, the APC got 31,914 votes to defeat the PDP, which scored 4,740 votes, while the APC also won in Ondo East with 8,163 votes while the PDP scored 2,843 votes.
The results also showed that the APC won in Ondo West, with 20,755 votes against PDP’s 6,387 votes.
In Irele, APC scored 17,117 votes to win the PDP, which had 6,601 votes.
APC also won in Akure South with 32,969 votes, while the PDP got 17,926 votes.
In Ose LGA, the APC also recorded a landslide victory with 16,555 votes against PDP’s 4,472 votes.
The results for Odigbo, Ese-do, Ilaje, Okitipupa, and
Akure North will be declared this morning, according to INEC.
PDP’s Agboola Urges INEC Chairman to Resign
Meanwhile, the candidate of the PDP, Ajayi has accused INEC and the security agencies of compromising the election and urged the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to resign.
He expressed displeasure at the conduct of the election in Kiribo, Ese-Odo LGA.
Ajayi was accredited and cast his vote at 10:45 a.m., at Unit 4, Ward 2 Idumado in Kiribo, Ese-Odo LGA.
The PDP governorship candidate said it took more than 10 minutes for the INEC BVAS to capture him.
“The system is not perfect and there are lots of complainants here and there.
“If INEC cannot successfully organise an election in just one state, then you must know that we are running into anarchy.
“I think it is deliberate on the part of INEC, on the part of the Resident Electoral Commission (REC).
“And we have said several times that we don’t trust Oluwatoyin Babalola (REC). That this woman cannot be fair.
“The system is compromised and we have a series of calls made by everybody. People are complaining about vote buying, the BVAS problem. It is a very shameful exercise,” he said.
Agboola also called for the resignation of INEC chairman, Yakubu.
“And I think people should call on the INEC chairman to resign if he cannot do the job. He should just resign.
“It is totally compromised. This is sad and Nigerians are not happy. Here, it is peaceful to some extent,” he said.
Suspected Vote-buyer Arrested, PSC Decries Vote-buying
The suspected vote-buyer was arrested at Ward 4, Polling Unit 007 outside St. Stephen’s Primary School, Akure, Ondo State.
The suspect was apprehended with two bags of money meant to be used to induce the voters during the ongoing election.
Security operatives forced the man to open the boot of his Toyota Camry car where two ‘Ghana-must-go’ bags were found.
Meanwhile, the PSC has lamented that vote-buying had become a recurring issue in elections across the country.
“There were, however, reports of pockets of vote-buying in some voting centres, which have become a recurring issue in elections in the country,” the Commission’s spokesperson, Ikechukwu Ani, said in its interim report on the election.
Ani, however, commended the security personnel deployed for the election in the state.
He said, “The PSC expressed its satisfaction with the performance of the security personnel who policed the Ondo State governorship election held today. The Commission staff monitors reported that the security officers, particularly the police, arrived at voting centres on time and fulfilled their constitutional responsibility of securing the election space.
“PSC monitors reported that the election security was generally credible and above average and has received a commendation from the Civil Society Situation Room. Members of the Situation Room also commended the Commission for its proactive oversight of police conduct during elections.”
Also reacting, one of the civil society groups that monitored the election, Yiaga Africa, has described the process as largely peaceful and orderly.
Though the group said there were some cases of attempted vote-buying, it argued that the cases did not cast a dark cloud on the outcome of the exercise.
“So far, the process is commendable; we went round and we have seen the level of efforts INEC has put in concerning coordination. The logistics, though they were challenges but it is commendable,” a Yiaga Africa representative on the field said.
Also reacting, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has commended both INEC and security agencies for displaying the high level of professionalism across the 18 LGAs in the state.
The minister stated this after casting his vote at Polling Unit 17: Ward 3, Okeagbe LGA of the state.
The minister who adjudged the election peaceful also commended the large turnout of voters who trooped out in their numbers across the local government areas to exercise their franchise.
According to him, “It’s been a peaceful election with officials displaying high-level professionalism coupled with an encouraging turnout of voters.”
Similarly, the Senator representing Ondo South on the platform of the APC, Jimoh Ibrahim, described the election as free, fair, and credible.
Ibrahim addressed journalists at Igbotako, Okitipupa LGA, shortly after he cast his vote at Idogun Unit 2, Igbotako Ward 2.
He also re-emphasised his loyalty to the APC under the leadership of President Tinubu, and the National Chairman of the Party, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje.
“I can confidently tell you that I am satisfied with the conduct of this election because it is free, fair, credible, and without violence.”
