By Alaba Olusola Oke
Chief Bamidele Akingboye, the candidate of Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Saturday’s Ondo governorship election has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to declare him the winner of the poll.
INEC had declared the incumbent Governor of the state, Lucky Aiyedatiwa who ran on the platform of All Progressives Congress, APC as the winner of the election with Agboola Ajayi of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP as his closest challenger among the 18 candidates on the ballot.
But the state chairman of the SDP, Mr Gbenga Akinbuli had called for immediate cancellation of the election while indicating that his party is getting set to challenge the outcome at the Tribunal at a press conference in Akure on Monday.
Also speaking at the press conference, Akingboye, the candidate of the party, said he would ask the court to declare him the winner of the election.
He said he was shocked at what happened during the conduct of the election.
“What I saw yesterday was shocking to me. If you look at what the TVC played out on the news yesterday, even an APC chieftain was about beating me up, but I just had to play maturity. It was a sad story.
“In my unit in Okitipupa –Ward 2, Polling Unit 10– they were doing an open auction.
“I told them that as a credible person, someone who has integrity, I would never partake in unlawful acts in Nigeria.
“I’m asking that they should declare me the winner of this election, because people were supposed to vote for me, but they chased all our party agents out of the polling units and thuggery was the act of the day.
“I’m considering myself as the winner of this election and INEC should declare me the winner of the election,” he said.
Speaking in the same vein, Akinbuli further described the election as a slap on democracy.
He alleged that voters were intimidated and harassed at Ward 10 Unit 19, Ondo West Local Government Area of the state.
He said that voters were offered between N7,000 and N10,000 at the polling unit where he voted.
Akinbuli also alleged that agents of the party were chased from many polling units across the state.
He stated that it was laughable for the party’s candidate to score two votes in Okitipupa where he hails from.
“How come the SDP got zero votes in Ilaje? The thugs chased everybody away from the polling units. People were scared of coming out to cast their votes.
“Security agents at polling units could not do anything. They chased out our agents from the polling unit.
“We are saying the election was marred by gross malpractices, vote buying, and electoral intimidation.
“We are going to court. We are asking for the cancellation of the election. It was a show of shame. It was buyers and sellers day in Ondo,” he stated.
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