APC’s Gboyega Oyetola has been declared winner in a re-run poll marked by violence and accusations of vote-rigging by rival PDP candidate Senator Ademola Adeleke.
The chief returning officer for the election, Professor Joseph Adeola Fuwape, vice chancellor Federal University of Technology, Akure, declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress the winner early Friday morning.
Oyetola scored 255,505 votes to beat Ademola Adeleke, candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party with just 482 votes.
The PDP candidate scored 255,023 votes.
At least 20 opposition supporters suffered beatings or were injured according to bloodied photos and videos trending online.
According to preliminary reports from some observer groups, other tactics used against voters during the election included threats, bans, such as preventing voters from accessing polling units.
Multiple observer groups and media outlets reported that PDP party agents were absent in the Ife South polling unit.
” Our agents were chased away in Ife South and two other polling units by thugs, said PDP publicity secretary, Bamidele Salaam.
” I was attacked by State Boys at Olode Adereti when called upon by ChannelsTV Political Reporter Seun Okunbaloye to grant an interview at the polling unit where fraudulent re-run is ongoing and where voters suspected to be PDP members were chased away, said Tope Elusogbon, a lawyer, showing traces of blood all over his arms.
Gboyega Oyetola’s election win is no victory for most people in Osun state. Voters expressed their general discontent with the ruling party in many areas forcing a re-run.
The Osun gubernatorial elections shows the APC has weakened, despite still being the most popular. Senator Adeleke benefitted from a fragmented ruling party with discord among members who moved out of the party weeks to the elections.
Meanwhile, the PDP candidate has described the election as a charade and rejected its outcome.
“We report to the whole world the brazen theft and daylight swindling of Osun people who were criminally denied their rights to vote and be voted for by an anti-people conspiracy among INEC, security agencies and the ruling All Progressive Congress, the PDP in Osun state said in a statement.
” An unprecedented travesty of justice and the shattering of democratic values are ongoing in Osun state.
“The whole world is witnessing a charade in the name of an election, a deliberate effort at the imposition of a discredited leadership on the suffering people of Osun State through undisguised brutal force, applying all standards, today’s supplementary poll is a non-event as all norms of electoral process were violated.
“Voters are deliberately refused access to polling points at gun points. Those allowed to voting centres are forced to vote for APC.PDP party agents are arrested, beaten up and shut out of polling centres.PDP agents are barred from many units. Roads are blocked to stop voters and observers.
‘Journalists and election monitors are blocked from accessing many voting areas. Those who attempted gaining access are attacked by hooded thugs.PDP leaders are hounded and arrested. It was a brutal unleashing of force against unarmed election stakeholders.
Election Results
Registered Voters: 1,678,985
Accredited voters: 775687
Valid Votes : 721,621
Rejected votes: 47874
Total votes cast`; 769495
Adeoti of ADP: 49,743 votes
Adeleke of PDP: 255023
Oyetola of APC: 255,505
Omisore of SDP: 128053
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