The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has denounced the outcomes of the local government election held on Saturday in Ondo State, characterizing it as a blatant theft.
Naija News reports that the election, organized by the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC), was conducted across 18 local government areas (LGAs) and 203 wards.
Although 12 political parties participated, the voter turnout was reportedly low, which was attributed to the significant presence of armed security forces.
ODIEC announced that the All Progressives Congress (APC) secured victory in all chairmanship and councillorship positions throughout the state.
In a statement, however, to the press in Akure on Monday, SDP Chairman, Ebenezer Akinbuli, alleged irregularities and condemned the election as fraudulent, alleging various irregularities, intimidation, and favouritism towards the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He noted that in regions like Ondo East and Odigbo LGAs, the absence of security personnel at polling stations compelled SDP members to assume security responsibilities themselves, further contributing to the diminished voter turnout.
Akinbuli also accused ODIEC of colluding with the APC, pointing to instances of pre-marked ballot papers and improper procedures in result collation.
“We are condemning the outcome of the election because it lacked compliance with the rules. It was a broad daylight robbery.
“Presiding officers weren’t given proper result sheets but blank sheets to write results. Collation wasn’t done at centres but at ODIEC’s office,” Akinbuli alleged, calling for its cancellation.
The chairman of the SDP reported witnessing an attack on an SDP candidate in Ondo East and demanded the resignation of the ODIEC chairman, alleging that he has presided over a fraudulent electoral process. He committed to contesting the results at the local government election tribunal.
Attempts to obtain a response from the ODIEC chairman were unsuccessful.
In the meantime, on Monday, ODIEC awarded Certificates of Return to the 18 elected chairpersons and their deputies.
The ODIEC chairman, Dr. Joseph Aremo, praised the voters for their dedication to democracy and encouraged the newly elected officials to honour their trust.
In his remark, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa characterized the election as a significant move towards promoting grassroots development, while the chairman-elect of Akure South, Gbenga Fasua, vowed to deliver on his campaign commitments.
