The Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Ondo State has rejected the results of the Saturday, November 16, 2024, governorship election, describing the process as a “show of shame.”
According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the incumbent governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was declared the winner with 366,781 votes, defeating other candidates.
Speaking to journalists on Monday in Akure, the state capital, the SDP chairman, Gbenga Akinbuli, condemned the election process, accusing the ruling party of widespread harassment, intimidation, and vote-buying.
Akinbuli further claimed that many voters were denied the opportunity to vote in various polling units, with political thugs allegedly taking control in some areas.
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“Our legal team is already working on the outcome of the election,” Akinbuli stated. “We reject the results outright. Our agents were harassed and forced out of polling units. How can you register over two million voters and only claim less than 600,000 voted? It’s a disgrace to the government.”
The SDP governorship candidate, Bamidele Akingboye, who received only 438 votes, also condemned the election as fraudulent. Akingboye alleged that SDP members were subjected to threats and intimidation by political thugs at various polling stations.
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He further claimed that incidents of vote-buying were rampant, citing a case in his unit in Okitipupa, where he said people openly engaged in electoral malpractices.
Both Akinbuli and Akingboye are calling for the immediate cancellation of the election results, with Akingboye asserting that he is the rightful winner. “I am the rightful winner of this election, and INEC must declare me as such,” he insisted.
