Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State and the Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, was defeated alongside with his party at the bye-election which was conducted in the Southern part of the state to fill the vacant House of Representatives seat.
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday night confirmed Raheem Olawuyi, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the vacant House of Representatives seat for Ekiti/Irepodun/Isin/Oke-Ero constituency in Kwara state.
INEC’s Chief Returning Officer for the poll, Prof. Abimbola Adesoji, said Olawuyi got 21,236 votes, followed by PDP with 18,095 votes. The Labour Party had 150 votes, the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) 76 votes and UPN 42 votes.
Professor Adesoji said out of the 40,930 total votes cast, the total number of valid votes was 39,599 while 1,331 votes were rejected. Adesoji, who is of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, said Olawuyi having scored the highest number of votes in the election was declared winner.
Olawuyi defeated his closest rival, Saheed Damilare of the Peoples Democratic Party. Other contestants in the election were Femi Ona-Ara of Labour Party, Ajadi Olayemi of Peoples Party of Nigeria as well as Olaniyan Ayorinde of Unity Party of Nigeria.
Abimbola gave the total number of total registered voters as collated as 168,707. The total accredited voters were 41,185, the total valid votes as 39,599, total number of rejected votes as 1,331 and total number of votes cast as 40,930.
The APC candidate won in three out of the four local governments in the constituency.The bye-election was conducted to fill the vacuum created by the death of Hon Olufunke Adedoyin.
This would be the first time any candidate backed by the Senate President Bukola Saraki would lose an election in any part of the state.
Meanwhile, an APC candidate for Kwara State House of Assembly, Mr Tayo Awodiji has declared the victory as the mind and reality of not only the wish of the people of the Federal Constituency but also that of the entire people of the state.
Awodiji who will represent the Irepodun LGA of the state in 2019 elections if voted to power, said, “the victory of Olawuyi has signaled the end of political slavery of the entire people of Kwara State. It was the freeiest and fairest election ever conducted in any area of the state since its creation some 51 years ago.
“Without mincing words, if other categories of elections are held in all the federal constituencies across the State today, the results will be in tandem with last Saturday’s bye election. Therefore, the people have spoken with one voice in a peaceful manner and the victory is for Nigerian burgeoning democracy. We can now begin to enjoy the true benefits of democracy like others across the federation.”
