Nigeria: #ondodecides2024 - PDP Faults Idanre LG Results, Alleges Violence, Ballot Snatching

17 November 2024
Premium Times (Abuja)
By Tunde Eludini

With due respect to the Idanre Local Government result, in Ofosu/Onisere ward, there was no election," a party official said.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised objections to the results from Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State in the ongoing governorship elections, alleging the use of violence against its party agents during voting and the snatching of ballot boxes.

Laniyi Ogundiji, the party's state collation agent for the 2024 governorship election, made this claim on Sunday following the announcement of the results from Idanre Local Government.

Benjamin Dauda, from the Federal University Lokoja, had earlier presented results showing that the APC won the local government with a margin of 174 votes, polling 9,114 votes against the PDP's 8,940 votes.

Objecting the results for the LG, Mr Ogundiji stated that no election took place in the Ofosu/Onisere ward, alleging that armed thugs chased away his party's agents. He also reported cases of ballot snatching in some polling units within the ward.

He urged INEC to expunge the total votes from the Ofosu/Onisere ward.

"With due respect to the Idanre Local Government result, in Ofosu/Onisere ward, there was no election. Reports reaching us indicate that all our agents were chased away. There was no election. The presiding officers were forced to simply write the results.

"I hereby request that since there was no election in Ofosu/Onisere ward, I pray that the results should be expunged from what has been submitted here," he said.

In his intervention, the returning officer, Olayemi Akinwumi, stated that the complaint had been noted.

Seventeen political parties and their candidates participated in the Saturday's election. Results announced from some polling units so far suggest the race is shaping up to be a contest between the incumbent governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the former Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi, the candidate of the People's Democratic Party (PDP).

The collation and announcement of results are ongoing at the collation centre in Akure, the state capital. So far, the ruling APC is leading in all the local government announced so far.

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