Still awaiting the winner
BY TAIWO FAROTIMI
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has declared the governorship election in Osun inconclusive. Joseph Afuwape, INEC’s Returning Officer, said this Sunday afternoon after announcing the votes.
In the results, Ademola Adeleke, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), polled254,699, while his closest challenger, Isiaka Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had 254,345 votes. PDP’s Adeleke is leading with 353 votes. While the PDP which is agitating for Adeleke to be declared winner of the election is itself contesting election results in two local governors, the difference in votes being lower than the number of votes cancelled may be a major problem. At least the disagreement would have to be resolved first.
Meanwhile, Iyiola Omisore of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) polled 128,049 votes to place a distant third. Omisore, a former deputy governor in state and one time senator was on the ballot against outgoing Governor Rauf Aregbesola in 2014. He came close to the governor then. That time he ran on the platform of the PDP. Omisore left PDP shortly before the party primaries that produced Adeleke.
There will have to be a re-run election to determine the winner.
