President Bola Tinubu advises dissatisfied candidates in the Ondo governorship election to pursue legal action if they disagree with the outcome, emphasizing the judiciary as the proper channel for resolution.
President Bola Tinubu has urged political parties and candidates who are unhappy with the outcomes of the Ondo State governorship election to present their grievances in court.
This request was included in a statement issued on Sunday by his Special Adviser for Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the election winner, having secured victory in all 18 local government areas of the state.
Onanuga mentioned that the President encourages candidates who are unhappy with the election results to utilize the judicial system as a means of addressing any conflicts.
President Tinubu congratulated Governor Aiyedatiwa and expressed satisfaction with how the election was conducted. He praised INEC, the police, and other security agencies for their roles in overseeing the process.
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The statement also quoted Tinubu, who praised Aiyedatiwa and candidates from the 17 political parties for exhibiting maturity and a strong sense of purpose during both the campaigns and election. He attributed the success of the polls to this civility in the state.
President Tinubu praised INEC for its performance, emphasizing the prompt deployment of staff and materials, along with the efficient uploading of more than 98% of results on election day.
Professor Olayemi Durotimi Akinwunmi, the State Returning Officer from Federal University Lokoja, announced on Sunday afternoon that Aiyedatiwa emerged victorious. He received 366,781 votes in comparison to his nearest competitor, Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who obtained 117,845 votes.
Despite the APC’s strong presence in all 18 local government areas, accusations of electoral misconduct emerged. The PDP agent for Idanre Local Government Area reported incidents of vote-buying and ballot box theft. Furthermore, the agent claimed that voting did not take place in certain parts of Idanre and officially requested that the results from this local government be annulled.
