PDP dominates Ondo Assembly, clinches 19 seats #OndoDecides

The Peoples Democratic Party rallied from a dampening defeat at the Presidential election to a dramatic victory on Saturday, winning 19 out of the 26 seats in the Ondo State House of Assembly.

The election, which was marked by pockets of violence and ballot box snatching in different parts of the state, saw the return of the House Speaker, Jumoke Akindele(Okitipupa II) and the Majority Leader, Ifedayo Akinsoyinu(Ondo West II) to their seats in the house.



The All Progressives Congress managed to secure five seats of Akoko North West I, Akoko South West I and II, Akure South II and Owo II.

The other constituencies won by the PDP include Akoko North East, Akoko North West II, Akoko South East, Akure North, Akure South I, Ese-Odo, Idanre, Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo, Irele, Odigbo I and II; Okitipupa I, Ondo East, Ondo West I, Ose and Owo I.

The results of the two constituencies in Ilaje Local Government were not announced following the alleged manipulation of the results after armed youths seized electoral materials and returned them later with figures.

Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Olusegun Agbaje, while addressing newsmen in Akure on Sunday, said, “The Returning Officers for Ilaje Constituency I and Ilaje Constituency II were forced to declare the results under duress by armed thugs , even though the cancelled polling units could affect the final results.”

He noted that the returning officers, in separate reports to him, declared the results of the two constituencies inconclusive because the outcome of the cancelled polling units could change the final results.

According to him, the results in the two constituencies should not have been declared given that there were no election in 26 polling units in Ilaje II with a total voting capacity of 20,879 and the cancelled 47 units in Ilaje I, with a total voting capacity of 25,302.

“The results had to be declared by the Returning Officer because of the tense situation and the threat to his life, that of the electoral officers and the Ad hoc staff,” he said.

He said the Chairman of the commission, Attahiru Jega, would need to look into the matter because of the legal implications in relation to the provisions of the Electoral Act and make a formal pronouncement on the matter.

Agbaje noted that the election witnessed low turn out of voters across the state, adding that there were pockets of violence in ten local government areas.

They are Akoko North West, Akoko South West, Ese-Odo, Idanre, Ilaje, Irele, Okitipupa, Ondo East, Owo and Ose.