The Peoples Democratic Party, the main opposition party in Ondo State, announced four days after the conclusion of the gubernatorial election that it was prepared to contest the results in court, pointing to irregularities in the polling process.
This comes as Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the state’s governor-elect, is scheduled to get his Certificate of Return today.
Aiyedatiwa, the All Progressives Congress’s candidate for governor, was proclaimed the victor of the state’s Saturday election by the Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday.
To maintain his status as the Sunshine State’s top candidate, Aiyedatiwa of the APC overcame Agboola Ajayi of the PDP and fifteen other contenders.
In the state’s 18 local government districts, the incumbent governor and APC’s nominee for governor overwhelmingly defeated his rivals.
The state returning officer, Olayemi Akinwumi, stated in the final results announcement that Aiyedatiwa received 366,781 votes, defeating PDP candidate Ajayi, who received 117,845 votes.
“That Ayedatiwa Lucky Orimisan of the APC, having satisfied the requirement of the law, is hereby returned elected,” the Returning Officer declared.
The off-cycle election was intended to bring in a new government in the state starting on February 23, 2025, and 17 political parties took part, according to the electoral board.
Nonetheless, the PDP promised to pursue legal action in its pursuit of justice in a statement released on Tuesday by the Special Advisor to its candidate for governor, Ayo Fadaka.
According to the statement, “We have discovered numerous attempts to undermine the electorate’s wishes and regrettably come to the conclusion that democracy cannot flourish in a setting where unchecked criminal activity is consistently carried out in the conduct of an election by the organization (INEC), which is tasked with the heavy and sacred duty of defending our right to vote and fulfilling its mandate at the conclusion of each election.”
Like all INEC elections since the APC took power in 2015, the election on November 16th follows the pattern of controlling the process and producing outcomes that are completely at odds with the wishes of the electorate. This leads to voter apathy and complete disenchantment with the electoral process.
Our only prayer is that those who have the authority to decide the fate of people and the country start to live up to expectations and fear God for the sake of our country’s health, peace, and tranquility. If they don’t, they will be relegated to the same level as criminals and bandits who constantly plant landmines that impede our country’s progress. We will not reveal the nature and scope of the findings of our investigations for the time being.
The courts should ensure that justice is “portable to people and institutions that seek it, the nation and people will appreciate that,” the party urged.
“We pray that Nigeria is resurrected, reborn, and resounding again as a nation that will not only hold promises of a better day for its people, but truly deliver on those same promises,” the statement continued. “Nigeria is now labeled as a failed state. Therefore, institutions and governance must be driven by honesty; else, revolt will eventually dictate unwholesome changes that will foretell disastrous outcomes.
In conclusion, we are hopeful that both man and God, who is supreme, will grant us justice. We reject the results of the election held on November 16 and will take legal action to undo the debauchery. We need to start removing criminality from the electoral process.
The results of the poll on Saturday that declared Aiyedatiwa the winner were also disapproved of by the Social Democratic Party.
Gbenga Akinbuli, the SDP chairman in Ondo, told reporters Monday in Akure, the state capital, that the party’s operatives were harassed and intimidated, and that voters were denied the opportunity to cast ballots in numerous polling places due to suspected widespread vote-buying.
Adeniyi Iwakun, the party’s publicity secretary, added that there was no election on Saturday.
Claiming that the Certificate of Return that will be given to Governor Aiyedatiwa today was anomalous, he emphasized that the party had taken a stance on the election and that it should be canceled.
“In our opinion, there was no election in the state,” he stated. Vote buying is illegal under the electoral legislation, which also prohibits the buying of individuals. In front of previously compromised security personnel, votes were freely exchanged. As a political party, we are demanding that the election be canceled since we disapproved of the outcome. Therefore, the win is one that should not be celebrated because it is a pariah victory.
“A Certificate of Return is more of a certificate of humiliation if he (Aiyedatiwa) accepts it. Because you don’t have to persuade people to vote you back into office once the government has done its job. Contributions will be made to both your campaign and your election.
It may occasionally apply to the most recent election. The state’s streets are devoid of celebration. Everyone is aware that this is another “one chance.” Even the government that has been in place for more than ten months has no authority. We are discussing the current administration. Therefore, in our opinion, he is not collecting a Certificate of Return, but rather a Certificate of Shame. Perhaps since it is a purchased victory, we refer to it as a certificate of return to shame. That is our political party’s stance.
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