Stephen Ukandu, News & Features Editor
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, winner of the Ekiti State governorship poll held on Saturday.
INEC Returning Officer for the poll, Professor Oyebode Adebowale, who declared the results of the contest, said Oyebanji polled a total of 187, 057 to emerge the winner.
Mr Segun Oni of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, scored 82, 211, to come second, while Chief Bisi Kolawole of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, came a distant third with 67,457.
Other contestants according to the result include: Accord (A) scored 166; African Action Congress, AAC, 409; All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, 17 while Action Democratic Congress, ADC, polled 141 votes.
Having satisfied the requirements of the law by scoring the majority of the votes cast and getting the needed spread across the Local Government Areas in the state, the Returning Officer declared Oyebanji winner of the election.
According to him: “That I, Prof. Oyebode Adebowale, hereby certified that I am the returning officer of the Ekiti 2022 Governorship Election held on June 18.
“That Biodun Oyebanji, the candidate of APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and returned elected,” Adebowale declared.
According to the INEC Returning Officer, the total numbers of registered voters were 989,224; accredited voters, 363,438; valid votes, 351865; and voided votes were 8888.
The INEC Returning Officer, who is also the Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, said the exercise was free and fair.
However, the Ekiti South West Local Government area Collation Officer, Prof. Gbolagade Jonathan, said there were issues of ballot snatching at Ward 6 , Units 5 and 7.
However, other reports said the election was marred by allegations of widespread vote-buying with fingers pointing at the ruling APC.
