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Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been declared the winner of the Ondo State governorship election held on Saturday.
The announcement was made on Sunday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at its state collation center in Alagbaka, Akure.
Professor Olayemi Akinwunmi, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Lokoja and the Returning Officer for the election, officially declared Mr. Aiyedatiwa as the winner at 2:29 p.m.
According to the results, Mr. Aiyedatiwa secured a total of 366,781 votes, defeating his closest rival, Agboola Ajayi of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who has 117,845 votes. The African Democratic Party (ADP) candidate, Adeyemi Nejo, trailed in third place with 4,138 votes.
“Having satisfied all the requirements of the law and scored the majority of lawful votes, Aiyedatiwa Lucky Orimisan of the APC is hereby declared the winner and returned elected,” Professor Akinwunmi announced.
The APC candidate won a landslide victory, taking all 18 local government areas in the state. While the election was mostly peaceful, observers highlighted major challenges, including widespread vote-buying and low voter turnout, as seen in videos that circulated online.
Recall that Aiyedatiwa’s journey
began after the passing of his predecessor, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, in December 2023. As Akeredolu’s deputy, Mr. Aiyedatiwa was sworn in to complete the remaining term of the late governor.
He subsequently secured the APC ticket to contest the 2024 governorship election, facing 17 other candidates, including Agboola Ajayi, who served as Akeredolu’s deputy during his first term.
