Ondo Election: Governor Aiyedatiwa Gives Condition to Accept Defeat, "The Only Thing"
- Ondo governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has said he will only concede defeat in the ongoing governorship election in the state if the poll was devoid of electoral malpractices
- Aiyedatiwa, the APC flagbearer in the election, disclosed this while speaking with reporters on Saturday, November 16, shortly after casting his ballot at Polling Unit 005 Ward 04 in Obenla community
- A video clip which showed the governor making the remarks was posted on Channel TV’s X account
Legit.ng journalist, Ridwan Adeola Yusuf, has over 9 years of experience covering politics and elections in Nigeria.
Akure, Ondo state - Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa on Saturday, November 16, 2024, said he will accept defeat if the Ondo election is not fraudulent.
Aiyedatiwa, the incumbent governor, is running for election to a full term. The 59-year-old is the flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party widely expected to win the gubernatorial poll in Ondo.
Ondo election: APC's Aiyedatiwa in relaxed mood
Speaking to the journalists after casting his vote at his polling unit 5 (Obenla), Ward IV, Ilaje local government area (LGA), Aiyedatiwa explained that Ilaje has been peaceful so far and he 'wants to believe' that it is the same mood in other parts of the state.
He said:
"If the outcome of the election does not favour my party, as long as we do not receive any incident that is fraudulent in any way, we will accept the results. But if we notice infractions or non-compliance in the procedure (we will reject it)."
He added:
"The only thing anybody can do is to go to court, go to the tribunal to challenge that. By and large, if I did not experience any of such, why would I not accept the outcome of the election?"
Watch the governor's interview below:
Legit.ng reports that the Ondo governorship election commenced on Saturday morning, November 16, in several LGAs of the state with a fairly large turnout of voters.
Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were seen at some of the polling units attending to the electorate.
Ondo election: PDP candidate unimpressed
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Agboola Ajayi, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo state, accused INEC of bias.
Speaking at his polling unit in Apoi Ward II, Unit 004, RCM, Idumado quarters Kiribo, Ese Odo council area of Ondo, Ajayi said he received reports of delays in the commencement of voting in parts of the state.
Source: Legit.ng