Abiodun re-elected amid protest over number of cancelled results + Full results
The Ogun State Governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has been reelected for a second term of four years.
He was pronounced reelected on Sunday amid protests by other parties over number of cancelled votes in the poll.
But in spite of the protest, the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Abiodun as the winner of the governorship election on Sunday.
INEC did this at the State Collation Centre in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
The Collation Agent of the Peoples Democratic Party for the poll, Sunkanmi Oyejide, had before the announcement cautioned INEC against declaring a winner for the election.
He said the electoral umpire should consider a clause in the Electoral Act (amended) that says it should declare a rerun in the case of total rejected votes outnumbering the lead margin.
This was raised shortly after the Sagamu collation officer, Prof. Oluwagboyega Afolabi, presented the scores of the political parties in the council.
Afolabi had said that 15 polling units were canceled as a result of violence during the governorship election on Saturday.
The PDP agent however raised an observation against further submission of the copy of the results.
Oyejide said no fewer than 33,750 votes were cancelled in Sagamu, Ijebu-Ode, Ikenne, Ijebu-North and Ogun Waterside Local Government Areas.
Yejide said: “The Electoral Act 2022, Section 24 Sub-Section 3 says where an election has commenced and there is reason to believe that there is or has been substantial destruction of election in a polling unit or constituency or it is impossible to continue with the election, occasioned by the threat to peace and security of electoral officials and materials; Electoral officials and materials should be underlined in the case of Remo where BVAS did not function and I argued it out; the commission shall suspend the election and appoint another date for the continuation of the election or the process.
“Secondly, if we invoke the principle of lead of margin enshrine in the Electoral Act 2022, the rejected votes according to results submitted to local government by local government are far higher than the lead of margin.
“This just to inform you when you are through with your final collation and what happened is found to be true that you will know that the election shall be inconclusive and a rerun should be ordered where necessary.”
The party followed this up with a petition dated March 18, 2023 to the Chairman of the INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
The petition, titled: “Petition against deliberate disenfranchisement of a large number of voters in some local governments of Ogun state,” reads: “We write to remind your authority of the above-mentioned issue.
“You will recall that the Commission is aware of the level of thuggery planned and orchestrated by the All Progressive Congress to unleash mayhem in some polling units across the state to destabilise innocent voters from freely exercising their voting rights as a result of planned and well-executed action.
“We are aware that the principle of margin of lead as established by the Commission in Section 24(3) is in effect, affected by the inability of the population greater than the reflected lead between the assumed winner of the election and the runner-up. Therefore, a re-run in appropriate to address this injustice.
“We, therefore, implore the Commission to evoke this principle and declare this election inconclusive.”
But the INEC Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, said the complaints have already been looked into.
Adebowale said: “I have tried to check our records and I want to say that everything he said is at variance with what we have as records.
“But if it is found to be incorrect, INEC has seven days to review its decision.”
The results by Local Government Areas:
Odeda
Registered voters: 94,048
Accredited Voters: 23,975
APC: 11,089
PDP: 8,050
NNPP: 31
ADC: 3,651
Total valid votes: 23,349
Rejected votes: 626
Total votes cast: 23,975
Egbado North
Registered voters: 130,063
Accredited Voters: 41,016
APC: 15,331
PDP: 11,627
NNPP: 64
ADC: 12,190
Total valid votes: 39,908
Rejected votes: 1,031
Total votes cast: 41,011
Egbado South
Registered voters: 133,001
Accredited Voters: 34,213
APC: 15,047
PDP: 10,913
NNPP: 75
ADC: 6,435
Total valid votes: 33,064
Rejected votes: 1,149
Total votes cast: 34,213
Ewekoro
Registered voters: 94,681
Accredited Voters: 20,415
APC: 8,192
PDP: 7,449
NNPP: 60
ADC: 3,881
Total valid votes: 19,902
Rejected votes: 511
Total votes cast: 20,413
Abeokuta South
Registered voters: 242,151
Accredited Voters: 55,718
APC: 19,689
PDP: 24,175
NNPP: 99
ADC: 9,264
Total valid votes: 54,139
Rejected votes: 1,579
Total votes cast: 55,718
There were cancellation in two wards: Ward 5 and Ward 13.
Ijebu North
Registered voters: 133,122
Accredited Voters: 38,340
APC: 18,815
PDP: 15,904
NNPP: 22
ADC: 2,393
Total valid votes: 37,478
Rejected votes: 848
Total votes cast: 38,326
Ikenne
Registered voters: 68,613
Accredited Voters: 23,564
APC: 9,125
PDP: 12,472
NNPP: 09
ADC: 336
Total valid votes: 22,069
Rejected votes: 392
Total votes cast: 22,461
10 polling units were cancelled due to violence and disruption of elections.
Ijebu North East
Registered voters: 52,457
Accredited Voters: 14,687
APC: 5,408
PDP: 7,086
NNPP: 27
ADC: 1,448
Total valid votes: 14,102
Rejected votes: 357
Total votes cast: 14,459
Ballot paper snatching at Ward 6, Unit 2. The result was cancelled.
Ijebu Ode
Registered voters: 90,760
Accredited Voters: 25,730
APC: 12,907
PDP: 10,714
NNPP: 36
ADC: 1,348
Total valid votes: 25,257
Rejected votes: 473
Total votes cast: 25,730
Cancellation in RA 6, PU 3 due to violence.
Abeokuta North
Registered voters: 167,753
Accredited Voters: 37,553
APC: 14,294
PDP: 12,622
NNPP: 34
ADC: 9,143
Total valid votes: 36,521
Rejected votes: 1,018
Total votes cast: 37,539
Three units in Ward 6 were cancelled due violence.
Ijebu East
Registered voters: 77,171
Accredited Voters: 21,896
APC: 7,883
PDP: 11,242
NNPP: 45
ADC: 1,885
Total valid votes: 21,352
Rejected votes: 542
Total votes cast: 21,894
There was cancellation in Unit 6, Ward 9 due to violence.
Remo North
Registered voters: 48,886
Accredited Voters: 13,187
APC: 4,306
PDP: 8,177
NNPP: 06
ADC: 327
Total valid votes: 129,39
Rejected votes: 248
Total votes cast: 13,187
Cancellation in four wards in seven polling units due BVAS malfunction and violence.
Ipokia
Registered voters: 136,281
Accredited Voters: 45,035
APC: 21,338
PDP: 19,189
NNPP: 46
ADC: 1,897
Total valid votes: 43,703
Rejected votes: 1,328
Total votes cast: 45,031
Cancellation of one polling unit.
Odogbolu
Registered voters: 95,530
Accredited Voters: 24,041
APC: 9,143
PDP: 12,963
NNPP: 10
ADC: 1,281
Total valid votes: 23,608
Rejected votes: 429
Total votes cast: 24,037
There cancellations in 14 polling units due violence and refusal to use BVAS.
Ogun Waterside
Registered voters: 52,359
Accredited Voters: 17,345
APC: 5,878
PDP: 7,716
NNPP: 56
ADC: 2,575
Total valid votes: 16,888
Rejected votes: 456
Total votes cast: 17,344
Cancellation in two wards due to violence and destruction of sensitive, non materials and difficult terrain due to hyacinth.
Imeko Afon
Registered voters: 70,223
Accredited Voters: 23,708
APC: 9,591
PDP: 6,981
NNPP: 93
ADC: 6,124
Total valid votes: 23,050
Rejected votes: 658
Total votes cast: 23,708
Ado-Odo/Ota
Registered voters: 390,175
Accredited voters: 86,304
APC: 39,006
PDP: 31,022
NNPP: 194
ADC: 12,174
Total valid votes: 83,616
Rejected votes: 2,688
Total votes cast: 86,304
Cancellation in two units due to violence.
Obafemi Owode
Registered voters: 179,696
Accredited Voters: 33,492
APC: 15,466
PDP: 11,004
NNPP: 275
ADC: 5,105
Total valid votes: 32,472
Rejected votes: 1,020
Total votes cast: 33,492
Cancellation in one polling unit due to over voting.
Ifo
Registered voters: 261,988
Accredited Voters: 51,482
APC: 20,653
PDP: 16,052
NNPP: 154
ADC: 11,040
Total valid votes: 48,804
Rejected votes: 2,678
Total votes cast: 51,482
Cancellation of five units due to over voting and disruption of voting activities.
Sagamu
Registered voters: 169,347
Accredited Voters: 34,705
APC: 13,128
PDP: 17,025
NNPP: 58
ADC: 2,257
Total valid votes: 32,840
Rejected votes: 804
Total votes cast: 33,644
Cancellation in several units.
