After months of
intense politicking
and anxiety, the
Ondo State
governorship
election ended
yesterday with
Governor Segun
Mimiko of the
Labour Party
emerging victorious.
The announcement
of the results by the
Independent National
Electoral Commission
began at 2:55am
today and ended at
4:30am when the
process was
discontinued. One of
the INEC officials told
the gathering of
electoral officials,
party agents and
security agents that
more declaration of
the results would
resume at 10am.
As of the time the
announcement was
stopped, the results
from 15 Local
Government Areas
had been
announced. The
results clearly
showed that
Mimiko’s victory at
the poll was all but
assured.
Out of the 15 LGAs,
the LP candidate won
in 12 LGAS including
Akoko South-East,
Akoko North-East,
Akoko North-West
and others. The
Action Congress of
Nigeria candidate,
Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu,
won in two local
government areas,
while the Peoples
Democratic Party
candidate, Olusola
Oke, won in one.
ACN won in
Akeredolu’s local
government, Owo,
and Senator Ajayi
Boroffice’s Akoko
South West Local
Government Area.
PDP won in Okitipupa
Local Government
Area.Results from
three local
government council
areas were not
declared.
Mimiko started the
day on a good note
winning his polling
unit whereas the
Action Congress of
Nigeria candidate,
Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu,
lost his polling unit
and ward to the
governor’s party.
Mimiko polled 348
votes at his Ondo
Ward 7 Unit 20,
while the PDP and
the ACN scored 18
and 16 respectively.
Voters across Ondo
trooped out to the
streets after
Mimiko’s victory in
his ward.
Akeredolu scored
139 in his Ward 5
Unit 6 in Owo, while
Mimiko scored 144
votes, just as the
PDP polled 35.
It was also gathered
that the PDP lost at
the Special Adviser
to the President on
Niger Delta, Mr.
Kingsley Kuku’s
polling unit, RCM Unit
2, Arogbo Ward1.
The result showed
that the LP polled
97; PDP, 85; and
ACN 16.
At Adumasi House,
Unit 04, Ilepa Ward
II, Ikare, Akoko
North-East Local
Goverment Area,
ACN had 82 votes
with the LP polling
100 and PDP, 60.
There was jubilation
in Akure, Ondo and
Owo towns when
news filtered in that
the LP was leading
in the results
announced at the
various polling units
in the state.
There were
altercations between
loyalists of LP and
the ACN in some
parts of Oka, Ikare
and Akungba over
the election results.
Some of the ACN
members had
accused the ruling
LP of engaging in
ballot stuffing in
some areas.
Despite initial fears
of voter apathy,
there was a high
turnout of voters in
most parts of the
state.