The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially declared Dayo Faduyile of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the Ondo South Senatorial District by-election held on Saturday. The announcement was made on Sunday by the INEC Returning Officer, Professor Gbenga Solomon-Ibileye, who is also the Vice Chancellor of Federal University, Lokoja, at the collation centre in Okitipupa, Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Election Results Breakdown
Professor Solomon-Ibileye announced that Faduyile secured the highest number of votes, totaling 68,474. Adeolu Akinwunmi of the Allied People's Movement (APM) came second with 1,411 votes, while Adesanya Olaoluwa of Action People's Party (APP) and Clement Funso-Nejo of Boot Party (BP) scored 213 and 70 votes respectively. The total number of votes cast was 70,770, with 602 votes rejected.
INEC Officials Comment on the Process
Mutiu Agboke, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Ondo State, described the by-election as a testing ground for the 2027 general election. He noted that minor hiccups observed during the process would help the commission prepare for future elections. "The results of the election reflected the people's voice, and thank God that all INEC staff who went to the riverine came back safely and no negative report anywhere," Agboke said.
Background of the By-Election
The by-election was conducted in six local government areas: Okitipupa, Ilaje, Ese-Odo, Irele, Odigbo, and Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo. It was necessitated by the appointment of Senator Jimoh Ibrahim as Nigeria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported the development.
