The announcement was made on Sunday by Joseph Aeemo, Chairman of the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC), at the commission’s headquarters in Akure.
He also revealed that voting in Ondo West LGA had been rescheduled, while results from Owo LGA were still being awaited.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) opted out of the election, citing a lack of confidence in ODIEC’s ability to conduct a credible poll.
In a statement issued before the vote, PDP officials accused the commission of bias, claiming it favored the ruling party, Vanguard reported.
A PDP spokesperson remarked,
Despite PDP’s withdrawal, 12 political parties, including the Labour Party (LP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP), contested the chairmanship and councillorship positions.
The participating parties included Action Alliance (AA), Action Democratic Party (ADP), and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), among others, Channels Television reported.
The absence of the PDP did little to dampen the electoral process. Aeemo commended the smooth conduct of the elections, saying,
The Ondo State local government elections were conducted after a long hiatus. The last council poll took place on August 23, 2020, with the tenure of elected officials expiring on August 22, 2023. Since then, council administration had been handled by civil servants serving as Heads of Local Government Administrations.
Following several postponements, ODIEC eventually fixed January 18, 2025, as the date for the elections.
While the APC’s dominance is clear, the final picture of the local government landscape will emerge after the rescheduled election in Ondo West LGA and the declaration of results from Owo LGA.
Earlier, TimesNow.com.ng reported that Segun Showunmi, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has stated that President Bola Tinubu is the only cabal in his government and that no one controls it.
The PDP chieftain maintained that the president did not allow his chief of staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to be effective in his position. ‘
According to Showunmi, Tinubu designed the infrastructure of his administration that made his appointees ineffective in their roles.
Source: TimesNow.com.ng
