Governor Dapo Abiodun has been declared winner of the March 18 gubernatoria election in Ogun.

The electoral office INEC announced that Mr Abiodun polled 276,298 to defeat his main challenger Ladi Adebutu of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, who polled 262,383.

The declaration was announced in Abeokuta on Sunday evening.

The circumstances of Mr Abiodun’s win might lead the series of controversies likely to follow the ongoing announcement of the 2023 gubernatorial election in several states. 

PDP’s agent, Sunkanmi Oyejide, cautioned the electoral commission before the announcement of Mr Abiodun’s win. 

Mr Oyejide protested that the governor could not be declared as re-elected because the total number of Permanent Voters Card (PVC) collected in polling units where elections did not hold or were disrupted as well as the rejected votes exceeded the margin of Mr Abiodun’s win.  

He argued : “The electoral act 2022, Section 24 Sub-Section three says where an election has commenced and there is reason to believe that there is or has been substantial destruction of election in a polling unit or constituency or it is impossible to continue with the election, occasioned by the threat to peace and security of electoral officials and materials.

“Electoral officials and materials should be underlined in the case of Remo where BVAS did not function and I argued it out. The commission shall suspend the election and appoint another date for the continuation of the election or the process,” he said. 

“Secondly, if we invoke the principle of lead of margin enshrine in the electoral act 2022, the rejected votes according to results submitted to local government by local government are far higher than the lead of margin.

“This just to inform you when you are through with your final collation and what happened is found to be true that you will know that the election shall be inconclusive and a rerun should be ordered where necessary,” he added.