Just In: APC’s Aiyedatiwa declared winner of Ondo guber poll, secured 366,781 votes in all 18 LGAs
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the incumbent governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa winner of the Saturday’s off-cycle election in Ondo State.
The Returning Officer for the election, Olayemi Akinwumi, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State, made the official declaration to extend the governor’s stay at the Government House in Alagbaka, Akure.
Aiyedatiwa polled 366,781 votes to defeat his arch 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.
The returning officer, while declaring the Aiyedatiwa winner at exactly 2:30 pm at the INEC collation centre in Akure, said, “That Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa of the APC having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”
Lucky Aiyedatiwa was sworn in as governor on Wednesday, December 27, 2023.
Having been declared the winner of the election, Aiyedatiwa is set to extend his stay at the helm of affairs in the oil-rich state. He – a former deputy governor – ascended to power on December 27th, 2023 after Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s death.
Akeredolu died on the same day after a lengthy battle with illness and had before his demise transmitted power to Aiyedatiwa.
He thereafter won the APC’s ticket for the 2024 governorship election in Ondo, pitting him against 17 other candidates including Agboola who was also a former deputy to Akeredolu during his first term in office.
