After being announced as winner of the Ondo State governorship election on Saturday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Lucky Aiyedatiwa paid glowing tribute to his late principal, Rotimi Akeredolu, stating that he wished he was still alive to witness his victory. Aiyedatiwa succeeded the former Ondo Governor Akeredolu, who passed away in December of last year after a long-term prostate cancer.
After defeating his close opponent, Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Aiyedatiwa, the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), was proclaimed the poll victor on Sunday.
While reacting to the outcome of the polls, the governor dedicated his victory to the late governor, wishing his late principal was present during his declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“The Lord gives and takes, but today he is no more,” the governor said in an emotional-laden voice.
The incumbent governor said it was always the wish of Akerodolu that he succeeded him as the governor of Ondo State, and it is so painful and sad that his principal did not live to see the manifestation of what he himself spoke about.
“It is so painful and sad that he didn’t live to see the manifestation of what he himself spoke about. I do refer to him sometimes as the man who saw tomorrow; he knew that I was going to succeed him because he wanted me to and was ready to give me the full backing. He made several statements at different times relating to this,” Aiyedatiwa said.
The governor insisted that the people of Ondo State chose him to be their leader for the ensuing four years, which is why he won the election.
Aiyedatiwa, the incumbent governor, polled 366,781 votes to defeat his closest rival and a former deputy governor of the state, Ajayi Agboola of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who raked in 117,845 votes.
However, the Peoples Democratic Party has condemned the conduct of the Ondo State governorship election on Saturday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), calling it ‘a sham’.
The opposition party, in its statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, on Sunday, described the election as the worst ever to be conducted by INEC, adding that the party is reviewing the outcome of the poll.
The statement read, “The Peoples Democratic Party and indeed all lovers of democracy in Nigeria and across the world have just witnessed the worst election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“The November 16, 2024, Governorship election in Ondo State runs short of all expectations and requirements of a free, fair and credible election as it witnessed the height of electoral swindle, deceit and manipulation by the All Progressives Congress (APC).”
The opposition party also alleged widespread vote buying by the APC, which it said was rampant because the ruling party impoverished Nigerians.
“This election witnessed widespread election merchandising, monetisation, and barefaced vote buying by the APC and its apparatus in government to suppress the genuine aspiration of the people.
“This devious practice by the APC was rampant and pervasive because the APC have utterly impoverished Nigerians and turned poverty into a weapon of mass subjugation, which enabled it to manipulate the election and its outcome.
“We call the attention of all Nigerians and the International Community to this reprehensible practice by the APC as widely witnessed in the November 16, 2024 governorship election in Ondo State, and we demand that a serious action be taken to stem such if Nigeria’s democracy must survive.
“In the meantime, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP will be having a more detailed review of the election and its outcome and take appropriate action in the defence of our democracy.”
Despite the opposition party’s claim, the confident Aiyedatiwa noted that he did his due diligence ahead of the polls and was convinced of his eventual victory.
He said, “During the campaign, I saw it coming because of the way the people received us, our program, our campaign, our interaction with the people and the other political parties, their own campaign, and what people say about them,” Aiyedatiwa said on the program”.
The governor said that he weighed both sides to know the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats and applied that to that political game.
“We looked at all that, and we saw our areas of strength and areas of weakness and buckled up. The other political parties did not cover the entire 18 local governments like we did,” he added.
Meanwhile, congratulatory messages have been pouring in for the governor, who has secured his stay at the Ondo State Government House for the next four years.
Among those that have hailed the governor’s achievement is President Bola Tinubu, who also called on aggrieved candidates of other parties to seek redress in court.
Also, the APC and some governors, including Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Usman Ododo (Kogi), Monday Okpebholo (Edo), Hope Uzodimma (Imo), and Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), among others, have rejoiced with Aiyedatiwa.
