INEC Postpones Ondo Governorship Election Result Collation As Aiyedatiwa Leads By Wide Margin.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced a delay in the collation of results for the Ondo State governorship election, initially scheduled to resume at 5:00 a.m. on Sunday, 17 November. The collation process will now recommence at 12:00 p.m., according to the Returning Officer, Professor Olayemi Akinwunmi, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Lokoja.
Professor Akinwunmi explained that the postponement was necessary to ensure the arrival of results from the remaining five local government areas: Akure North, Okitipupa, Odigbo, Ilaje, and Ese-Odo.
“We have five more local governments to collate, but we are taking a break until 5:00 a.m. to receive results from Akure North, Okitipupa, Odigbo, Ilaje, and Ese-Odo. We will resume collation at 5:00 a.m. for these local governments,” he stated earlier. However, this timeline has now been extended to noon.
So far, results from 13 out of 18 local government areas have been officially declared. Rotimi Aiyedatiwa, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has maintained a commanding lead with 259,851 votes. His closest rival, Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has garnered 81,031 votes.
The election, which has captured national attention, saw voters turning out across the state to decide their next governor. Analysts and observers have praised the electoral process so far, noting its adherence to INEC’s guidelines and the peaceful conduct of voters in most areas.
The outcome of the election will be pivotal for Ondo State, as citizens await the announcement of the final results with high anticipation.
