Jide Orintunsin, Osagie Otabor, Toba Adedeji, Nicholas Kalu, Rasaq Ibrahim and Kolade Adeyemi, Jos.
THERE was jubilation on Sunday as Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu was declared the winner of Saturday’s governorship election. His fellow All Progressives Congress (APC) governors and their party could not hide their joy.
The APC said the victory represented a defeat of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) ‘stomach infrastructure’.
The party lambasted the PDP for insinuating that Ondo State electorates voted for the highest bidder. Governorship candidate of the PDP Eyitayo Jegede called on his supporters to exercise patient.
Jegede, who spoke through the spokesman of his campaign organisation, thanked the people of Ondo State who voted according to their conscience.
“We thanks to the loyal members of PDP at local, state and national levels who took ownership of this project and executed it. This is God’s project and since it remains so, ‘we wait, Eyi ni ise Oluwa.’”
APC Acting National Secretary and Secretary, National Campaign Council for the Ondo election, Mustapha Saliu, who spoke with reporters in Akure, said voters trooped out to vote willingly.
The National Campaign Council said Akeredolu’s victory was a vindication of APC’s ideology-preference for physical infrastructure.
This was contained in a congratulatory message to Akeredolu signed by a member of the Council and the Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr Osita Okechukwu in Abuja on Sunday.
The statement reads:
“On behalf of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Campaign Council led by the Governor of Lagos State, His Excellency, Babajide Sanwolu, congratulates His Excellency Rotimi Akeredolu for his victory in the Saturday 10th, October 2020 Ondo State gubernatorial election.
“For us in the APC his victory and that of His Excellency, Godwin Obaseki, both products of APC in the last four years have in no small measure defined our ideology-preference of devoting much more resources to physical infrastructural development to Stomach Infrastructure as per PDP.”
Governors, others congratulate Akeredolu
Ekiti State Governor Dr Kayode Fayemi has attributed the victory of the APC in the Ondo State governorship election to the exhibition of the sincerity of purpose and togetherness by party leaders.
Fayemi, who congratulated Akeredolu on his re-election, said elections are almost always winnable when there are proper coordination and unity among the rank and files in the party.
The governor, in a statement in Ado-Ekiti by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Yinka Oyebode, lauded the leaders of the party in Ondo State for closing ranks ahead of the election and working in unison to achieve victory for the party.
“It is a wake-up call that with a laser beam focus, proper planning, unity and sincerity of purpose, elections are almost always winnable. It is hoped that the various bye-elections coming up at the end of the month will benefit from this renewed vigour and focus in our party”.
He said Akeredolu’s electoral victory was an attestation to the fact that the electorate would always reward a performing leader and administration with their votes.
He commended the people of Ondo for their peaceful conduct at the poll, a situation which he said greatly reduced the pre-election tension in the state in addition to crippling the antics of purveyors of violence.
“It is a new day in Ondo State. Congratulations to my brother Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) and a bigger congratulation to the APC members in the state. The biggest applause, however, goes to the good people of Ondo State for ensuring the election was held in an atmosphere devoid of rancour, violence and blood-letting as many had predicted.
“It is heart-warming to see the electorate reward Governor Akeredolu’s good performance in terms of industrialisation and infrastructure development of the state among others with electoral victory.
“To whom much is given, much should be expected. I have no doubt that the good people of Ondo State would witness a greater level of socio-economic, industrial and infrastructure development in Governor Akeredolu’s second term,” he added.
His Osun State counterpart, Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, described the victory of Akeredolu as “sweet and well deserved”.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr Ismail Omipidan, read: “Akeredolu’s victory is well-deserved and a true reflection of the wishes and aspirations of the good people of Ondo.
“The sterling performance and achievements of Governor Akeredolu in his first term also informed the decision of Ondo electorate to re-elect him for another term, and expressed confidence that the Governor will continue to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.
“I heartily congratulate His Excellency, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, on his well-deserved re-election as Governor of Ondo State. I also congratulate Mr. President, the National Caretaker Committee, and other leaders of our great party including Baba Bisi Akande, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, members and supporters of the APC, on this sweet victory at the just- concluded Ondo State governorship election.
“This victory is a true reflection of the wishes and aspirations of the good people of Ondo. It is apparent that Governor Akeredolu’s sterling performance and achievements in his first tenure informed the decision of Ondo people to vote him for another term.
“I’m confident that Governor Akeredolu will continue to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people of Ondo State.”
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq also congratulated his Ondo State counterpart, saying the victory was deserving.
“I congratulate His Excellency the Governor of Ondo State on his victory. It is a deserving reward for his good works. The massive victory is a resounding vote of confidence by the people in his leadership in the past four years. The outcome is, therefore, a victory for the excellent performance of our party under his able leadership in the Sunshine State.
“I also congratulate the leadership and members of our party, the APC, in Ondo and across the country for rallying round the Governor to achieve this convincing victory,” he said in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye.
For Plateau State Governor Simon Bako Lalong, Akeredolu’s re-election was worth celebrating.
Lalong, who is the Deputy Chairman of the APC Ondo Governorship Campaign Council, appreciated the resilience and faith of the people of Ondo State in their governor, and the APC.
He also commended the electorate for comporting themselves decently throughout the process of electioneering.
Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs Tayo Alasoadura congratulated Akeredolu.
Alasoadura, in a statement by his spokesman, Dayo Joseph in Akure, described the emergence of the APC candidate as “a victory well deserved”.
The minister commended INEC and the security agencies for ensuring that the election was free, fair, credible and peaceful, “in keeping with the avowed commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to leave a legacy of free and fair elections”.
Alasoadura also applauded the people of the state for turning out en-masse on Saturday, in all the local government areas of the state, to peacefully and freely exercise their democratic rights.
He extolled the “bravery, resilience and sheer doggedness” of APC members in the state.
Senate Chief Whip Orji Kalu has congratulated Akeredolu over his victory in the just concluded governorship election in Ondo State.
Kalu, in a congratulatory message to the re-elected governor, commended the people of Ondo State for their support to the governor and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
While acknowledging the transformation of Ondo State by the Akeredolu led-government, Kalu urged the governor to maintain his all inclusive and participatory approach of governance.
The former governor of Abia called on the candidates of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Chief Eyitayo Jegede and Agboola Ajayi respectively, to work harmoniously with Akeredolu to take Ondo State to greater heights.
Kalu said that the political class regardless of party affiliation must work together to drive development at the grassroots.
He said that Akeredolu had demonstrated undoubted capacity to lead the people of Ondo State to the promised land with robust development across the nooks and crannies of the state.
“The outcome of Saturday’s governorship election in Ondo State is a testament to the acceptability of the APC across Ondo State.
“The election results have clearly shown that the governor’s accomplishments in his first tenure earned him victory for a second term.
“There is no doubt in the capacity of Akeredolu to continue to steer the affairs of Ondo State.
“Election is not a do-or-die affair and as such, there is no victor, no vanquished.
“The governor must sustain his leadership style anchored on inclusiveness, transparency and accountability.
“All hands must be on deck to make life meaningful for the people,” Kalu said.
Kalu also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the media, security agencies, local and international election observers, civil society organisations and political parties for ensuring a free, fair and credible poll.
He added that Nigeria’s democracy is growing.
The former governor called on political office holders and politicians to demonstrate credible leadership and good governance at all levels for the sake of building a prosperous nation.
Oshiomhole hails governor
APC immediate past chairman Adams Oshiomhole also congratulated the governor, describing his victory as “fruit of stellar performance”.
“I felicitate with Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu on this well-deserved victory. With this emphatic victory, the good people of Ondo State have surely expressed their appreciation for Akeredolu’s stellar performance in the last four years. Truly, he is tested and trusted.
“This victory also reaffirms the dominance of our great party, APC, in the Southwest.
“I wish Akeredolu’s wisdom and God’s speed as he continues to serve as the people’s governor of Ondo and a bridge-builder,” Oshiomhole said.
‘Major parties guilty of vote-buying’
Dr Kayode Ajulo, a constitutional lawyer and former General Secretary of the Labour Party (LP), alleged that all major parties in the just concluded Ondo State governorship election were guilty of vote-buying.
In a statement in Lagos, Ajulo, an indigene of Ondo, who said he monitored the election, alleged that the major political parties were all involved in influencing voters for the election, using money.
Ajulo said that the parties accusing others of vote-buying during the election had no moral rights to do so as they were all guilty of it.
“The reported widespread vote-buying during the election is true but it’s not restricted to one party.
“The case of vote-buying was not only common to the major opposition. The three leading political parties in the election tried in the game of outspending and overreaching one another,” he said.
He further explained that the only difference was the financial strategy, wit and coordination of the political parties involved to facilitate the act.
No corps member was kidnapped during poll, says NYSC
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) yesterday denied the claim that a corps member was kidnapped in Idanre Local Government Area during Saturday Ondo State governorship poll.
The scheme described the report of kidnap of a corps member as false.
A statement titled ‘No corps member was kidnapped in Ondo’ was made available by the Director, NYSC South West Area Office, Mr Emmanuel Attah, lamented that the fake report caused parents and relatives of serving corps members in Ondo State to be worried and they have been calling officials of the scheme.
His words: “No corps member was kidnapped, before, during and after the Ondo State governorship election.
“All our corps members who were deployed as INEC ad hoc officials for the election have since returned to their respective lodges and abide and they are in good health. That report that a corps member was kidnapped is not true.”
‘Conduct of policemen in Ondo election above average’
The Police Service Commission (PSC) said the conduct of policemen on electoral duties at the Governorship election in Ondo state was above average.
In a statement by the Head, Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani, the Commission’s team visited 12 local government Areas in the three Senatorial districts of the state, covering 77 polling units.
Ani said the team received a total of 51 telephone calls from its advertised dedicated lines with complaints basically on attempts to induce voters.
“There was a reasonable distribution of Policemen at the various polling units ranging from three to about 12 depending on the size of the Unit.
“The Policemen were complemented in virtually all the polling units by men of the Department of State Security, (DSS,) Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSDC) Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and the joint task force of Mobile Policemen and the Military that manned major highways and junctions in the state.”
CSOs commend INEC
The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (Situation Room) yesterday commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the conduct of the Ondo Governorship Election.
In a statement signed by Esther Uzoma, Alternate Chair, Situation Room, the group said that INEC improved on the gains of the Edo election with improvements recorded in the compliance with COVID-19 protocols, logistical arrangements and commencement of polls.
Uzoma said that INEC’s processes improved and were mostly hitch-free, adding that this was also evident in the relatively smooth Ward collation process.
She said that the group commended INEC for improving on timely commencement of polls with early srart of polls in most voting locations across the state.
She said that the group also observed that Smart Card Readers were widely used to accredit voters and in several instances of card reader failure, technical support was provided to rectify the situation.
“On the positive side also, the reports indicate professional conduct of security personnel. There were, however, isolated incidents of logistical challenges.
“The menace of vote-buying is still prevalent in the electoral process, with several reports of the trend worsening.
“Although there are concerns over observance of COVID-19 prevention protocols, there was marked improvement from the most recently conducted governorship elections.
“Voter turnout was generally low across the State, which raises questions about decreasing citizens participation in elections in Nigeria, and what needs to be done to address the problem, going forward.’’
Uzoma said that the group believed that the introduction and use of the Z-pad for uploading of collated polling results was a major improvement on the election process, because of the heightened transparency that this had brought to the elections.
She said that upon completion of the voting process, Situation Room observed a 100 per cent complete upload of results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in 11 of the 18 LGAs in Ondo State, after about eight hours of close of polls.
She said that although the use of the platform was still relatively new, Situation Room urged INEC to continue to improve on the technology and practice.
“This is in order to assure citizens of the increased transparency in our electoral system and as a tool for overseeing the results collation process.”
Uzoma said that a notable observation by the group was the preference given to persons with disabilities, the elderly, pregnant women and nursing mothers in the voting process.
She said that while acknowledging the laudable efforts of INEC to make special provisions for the peculiarities of PWDs, Situation Room observed that some polling units were inaccessible to this class of voters because of topography and drainage systems.
She said that the group observed that voter turnout was very low compared to the number of registered voters who collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
She said that Situation Room noted, however, that a lot of work needed to be done by INEC, the political parties and civil society organisations to find innovative ways of reducing voter apathy, including civic education, and drive turn out by voters.
She said that reports received by Situation Room showed that vote buying was evident in a number of polling units and largely went unchecked.
“Voters were seen selling their votes for sums ranging from N4,000 and N5,000, to N7,000, depending on the political parties or location.
“The improper positioning of voting cubicles and ballot boxes in some polling units observed, made it easier for party agents to deduce patterns of voting as the secrecy of the ballot was not observed.
“Situation Room calls on INEC, security agents and other stakeholders to seek out more practical ways of enforcing punitive measures against offenders, to serve as a deterrent to political actors and the electorate, moving forward. ‘’
Uzoma said that the election was relatively violence-free, in spite of the political tension.
