– By Tobi Caleb, ABH PRESS
A rerun of the Osun State governorship election will hold on Thursday, September 27, 2018, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said yesterday. The Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Prof. Joseph Fuwape, disclosed this after declaring the election inconclusive.
Senator Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 254,698 votes, while Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) scored 254, 345 votes. Senator Iyiola Omisore of Social Democratic Party (SDP) followed with 128,049. But a total of 3,498 votes were cancelled across seven polling units, which is more than the 353 votes that gave Adeleke an edge over Oyetola.
The affected polling units where the rerun election will take place are: one in Ife North; two in Ife South; three in Orolu; and one in Osogbo.
Prof Fuwape said “Based on the results collated by the Returning Officer, the margin between the two leading candidates is 353 which is lower than the number of registered voters in the affected areas. Extant law and INEC Guidelines and Regulations provide that where such a situation occurs, a declaration may not be made.”
Recent reports claim that the Peoples Democratic Party has carried the case to court claiming that Senator Adeleke is the rightful winner and that there’s no need for a rerun.
Source: thisdaylive.com.ng