According to the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC), the All Progressives Congress (APC) has won 16 out of the 18 local government areas in the state council elections held on Saturday.
The announcement was made by the ODIEC Chairman, Dr. Joseph Aremo, during a press briefing on Sunday.
Dr. Aremo disclosed that the results from the remaining two local government areas—Owo and Ondo West—were still pending due to certain irregularities. “The election was conducted in these areas,” he explained, “but the results were annulled due to an error involving the wrong logo of one of the participating parties, the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), being printed on the ballots.”
He further clarified that fresh polls were rescheduled for Sunday, but the results were not yet available at the time of his statement.
A total of 12 political parties participated in the election, with voters selecting chairpersons and councillors for all 18 local government councils. The participating parties included the ruling APC, Labour Party, Social Democratic Party, Action Democratic Party, and several others.
However, the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) withdrew its participation just days before the election, citing a lack of confidence in the electoral process.
In a statement released last Thursday, the PDP’s Director of Media and Publicity, Mr. Leye Igbabo, criticized ODIEC’s conduct. He stated,
“Our party fielded 15 chairmanship candidates in 15 local government areas and 131 councillorship candidates. But, from all indications, ODIEC’s credibility, transparency, and impartiality have failed the integrity test.
“Recent observations and reports point to a troubling pattern of double standards by ODIEC, raising serious doubts about their ability to conduct a free, fair, and credible election.
“As a responsible political party committed to democracy and the rule of law, we cannot, in good conscience, confer legitimacy on this compromised process by participating in the election.
“We have, therefore, resolved to withdraw our participation in this exercise to uphold the integrity of our party and our unwavering belief in credible electoral practices.”
