Declare Ogun Governorship Election Inconclusive

March 21, (THEWILL) – The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare the March 18 governorship election in the State, inconclusive.

The party alleged disruption and snatching of ballot boxes by political thugs suspected to be members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 54 polling units where ballot boxes were carted away and burnt.

INEC had declared Governor Dapo Abiodun of the APC the winner of last Saturday’s election, a result the PDP kicked against, vowing to challenge his victory in court.

The INEC Returning Officer in the State, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, had declared Abiodun the winner with 276,298 votes, against Ladi Adebutu of PDP, who polled 262,383 votes, indicating a 13,915 votes margin.

PDP’s Chairman, Sikirulai Ogundele, who stated this on Monday, at a press conference held in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, said he wanted INEC to declare the election results inconclusive because of illegal votes.

According to him, there were illegal votes at polling units of PDP strongholds in Sagamu and other Local Government Areas where APC thugs disrupted, snatched and burnt ballot boxes.

Ogundele said that about 35,000 votes and areas where ballot boxes were snatched and burnt during the governorship election were enough for the electoral body to declare the election in the State inconclusive.

He said, “I want to assure us that we should be steadfast and firm, and even when you notice it yesterday when they are doing collation for the State, I hurriedly pick up a petition and addressed it to the Chairman of INEC and REC that this election should not be concluded because the number of places where disruption took place and the numbers of PVCs collected in those places were extremely different or higher than the margin of lead established by the Commission.

“If they saw the letter, I wouldn’t know, but I was happy that our State collation agent was able to have the letter and present it. I, of course, applied all those areas and the little ones I could catch up with before they declare the result, and from my arithmetic, it was 35,000 plus and was sufficient for INEC to say that this election should be considered inconclusive. So, we must put up a determined mind and our mandate will be gotten back.”

Speaking at the press conference, the governorship candidate of the party, Adebutu said he rejected the outcome of the election, vowing to challenge Abiodun’s victory in court.

He alleged that over 10, 000 illegal votes were detected in polling units in Ogijo, near Sagamu, while ballot boxes and sensitive materials were carted away and burnt.

The PDP governorship candidate also alleged that INEC and APC in the State collided together to rig the election in favour of Abiodun because most of their strongholds were attacked and ballot boxes and electrical materials were carted away and burnt.