By Correspondent in Ado-Ekiti.
Mr Biodun Oyebanji, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has been declared the winner of the Saturday’s Ekiti Governorship election.
Declaring the winner, Prof. Oyebode Adebowale, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Returning Officer, said Oyebanji polled a total of 187, 057 to win the election.
He said that Oyebanji had certified the law and was, therefore, declared the winner.
“That I, Prof. Oyebode Adebowale, hereby satisfied that I am the Returning Officer of the Ekiti 2022 Governorship Election held on June 18.
“That Biodun Oyebanji, the candidate of APC, having certified the requirements of the law, is hereby declared winner and returned,” Adebowale declared.
The INEC Returning Officer, who is also the Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, while giving the break down of the total votes scored by the participated political parties, said that Mr Segun Oni, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, scored 82, 211, to come second.
According to him, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Chief Bisi Kolawole, polled 67,457; Accord (A) scored 166; African Action Congress (AAC) 409; All Progressives Grand Alliance,(APGA) 17 while Action Democratic Congress (ADC), 141 votes.
He added that the Action Democratic Party (ADP) scored 5,597; Allied Peoples Movement (APM) -290; Labour Party (LP) polled 195 votes; New Nigeria Peoles Party (NNPP) scored 529 and National Rescue Movement (NRM) 347.
The rest are; Young Progressives Party (YPP)-618; All Peoples Party (APP),1,980 and Zenith Labour Party,(ZLP), 282; Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), 856.
According to the INEC Returning Officer, the total number of registered voters were 989,224, accredited voters, 363,438, valid votes were, 351,865 and voided votes were 8,888.
However, the Ekiti South West Local Government area Collation Officer, Prof. Gbolagade Jonathan, said there were issues of ballot snatching at Ward 6 , Units 5 and 7.
Jonathan, while giving his reports, said the officials were about sorting out the results when gunmen stormed the affected units and started shooting sporadically, making the people to run for safety, while the gunmen carted away the ballot boxes in the process.
He explained that the two affected units had a total numbers of accredited voters of 266 and 128 respectively.
