Nigeria’s INEC validates globally condemned gub election

INEC Chairman, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood

Nigeria’s INEC validates globally condemned gub election

Despite public outcry of condemnation from the United States, United Kingdom, the European Union and some local election observers on the conduct of Thursday supplementary gubernatorial election in Osun, South-West Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Gboyega Oyetola, as the Governor-elect of the state.

The INEC declared as inconclusive, the election last Saturday in which the candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ademola Adeleke won the majority of votes, citing the margin between winning votes and the cancelled votes.

The re-run election was held in seven polling units across four council areas on Thursday where about 3000 votes were contested.

The returning officer, Prof. Joseph Fuwape, declared that the APC candidate, Oyetola, won the governorship election by scoring a total number of 255,505 votes while Adeleke of the PDP polled 255,023 votes.

But Adeleke, the PDP, and the Coalition of United Political Parties, among others said the election was massive rigged.

The rerun was held in one polling unit in Oyere in Ife-North, one polling unit in Olode in Ife-South, another polling unit in Osi, Ife-South, three polling units in Orolu, Kajola Local Government Area of the state and one polling unit in Osogbo.

In Oyere, APC had 126 votes while PDP had two votes. In Olode, APC scored 283 votes with the PDP scoring 15 votes. In Osi, APC had 172 votes while the PDP had 21 votes. In Ifon, Orolu, APC had 111 votes against PDP’s three votes. In Gbogbo, Orolu, APC had 41 while PDP scored 64 votes. Also in Idiya, Orolu, the APC scored 128 votes against the PDP’s 55 votes.

In Osogbo, the APC scored 299 votes while the PDP scored 165 votes. In all, APC scored 1,160 to beat the PDP which scored 325 in the rerun. When added to the result of the main election on Saturday, APC had a total of 255, 505 votes against PDP’s 255,023.

In the run-up to the rerun of the election, the PDP alleged that INEC shortchanged its candidate in some of the council areas by announcing figures that were lower than what Adeleke actually scored.

It claimed that the actual margin of the win against Oyetola in the first election was 4,740 and not 353. The party said that INEC added 2,000 votes to what the APC polled in Osogbo and 1,387 to what it scored in Olorunda. The party also alleged that 1,000 votes were deducted from what Adeleke scored in the Ayedaade council area.

The national leadership of the PDP said that the Thursday election was one of the worst days in the history of Nigeria.

It described the election as a black day for the nation.

The National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, spoke at an emergency meeting after the meeting of members of the PDP National Working Committee.

He lamented that Osun State was put under siege and the citizens’ right trampled upon by security agents, whom he said were backed by both the All Progressives Congress and the Independent National Electoral Commission officials.