The electoral commission, INEC, has declared the Osun State governorship election “inconclusive.”
The declaration was made by Joseph Fuwape, the presiding officer of the election at the INEC headquarters in Osun.
At the end of the collation of votes, the PDP candidate, Ademola Adeleke, won majority votes of about 254,698 votes while Gboyega Oyetola of the APC came a close second with 254,345 votes. Both leading candidates had a difference of about 354 votes.
“Unfortunately as the returning officer, it’s not possible to declare anybody as the clear winner of the election on the first ballot,” Mr Fuwape said.
He explained that the total registered voters in the five polling units where elections were cancelled is 3,498 votes. Since that figure was higher than the difference between the votes of the leading candidates, a re-run election had to be conducted, the INEC chief explained.
“I, Joseph Adeola Fuwape, hereby, declare this election inconclusive,” he said.
INEC’s election guideline made pursuant to Section 153 of the Electoral Act stipulates a rerun if the margin of victory in an election is lower than the number of voters in units where elections are cancelled.
In that case, rerun will hold in areas where elections are cancelled.
