Ondo PDP urges supporters to remain ‘calm’, ‘steadfast’ over outcome of governorship election
The Ondo State’s chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged its supporters to remain “calm and steadfast” after the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and incumbent governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, was announced winner of the 2024 gubernatorial elections held on Saturday.
The party had earlier alleged widespread vote buying by the APC which it said was rampant because the ruling party impoverished Nigerians.
The Returning Officer for the election Olayemi Akinwumi, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State declared Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the election on Sunday, extending the governor’s stay at the Government House in Alagbaka, Akure.
Aiyedatiwa, the incumbent governor of the Sunshine State polled 366,781 votes to defeat his closest rival and a former deputy governor of the state, Ajayi Agboola who flew the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag. He scored 117,845 votes, more than twice lower than the APC candidate.
“That Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa of the APC having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” the returning officer said at exactly 2:30 pm at the INEC collation centre in Akure.
The declaration came hours after the collation of results for the election began in the early hours of Sunday. Although the collation centre went on breaks, the APC took a commanding lead with over 200,000 votes ahead of the PDP.
The final results showed that the APC won the election in a landslide, clearing all 18 local government areas.
However, shortly after the result announcement by INEC, PDP described the election as a ‘sham’, adding that it was the worst ever to be conducted by INEC.
“The Peoples Democratic Party and indeed all lovers of democracy in Nigeria and across the world have just witnessed the worst election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“The November 16, 2024 Governorship election in Ondo State runs short of all expectations and requirements of a free, fair and credible election as it witnessed the height of electoral swindle, deceit and manipulation by the All Progressives Congress (APC),” the statement read in part.
PDP also alleged widespread of vote buying by the APC which it said was rampant because the ruling party impoverished Nigerians.
“This election witnessed widespread election merchandising, monetization and barefaced vote buying by the APC and its apparatus in government to suppress the genuine aspiration of the people.
“This devious practice by the APC was rampant and pervasive because the APC have utterly impoverished Nigerians and turned poverty into a weapon of mass subjugation which enabled it to manipulate the election and its outcome.
“We call the attention of all Nigerians and the International Community to this reprehensible practice by the APC as widely witnessed in the November 16, 2024 Governorship election in Ondo State and we demand that a serious action be taken to stem such if Nigeria’s democracy must survive.,” the party said in an earlier statement.
After INEC’s declaration, political bigwigs in the country have taken turns to congratulate Aiyedatiwa, Including former president Muhammadu Buhari, and President Bola Tinubu who also advised aggrieved parties to seek court’s redress.
