The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Dayo Faduyile, winner of the Ondo South Senatorial District bye-election held on Saturday.
Announcing the result at the collation centre in Okitipupa on Sunday, the Returning Officer, Prof. Gbenga Solomon-Ibileye, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, declared Faduyile elected after polling 68,474 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Adeolu Akinwunmi of the Allied People’s Movement (APM), who secured 1,411 votes.
Other contestants in the election included Adesanya Olaoluwa of the Action People’s Party (APP), who garnered 213 votes, and Clement Funso-Nejo of the Boot Party (BP), who polled 70 votes.
Prof. Solomon-Ibileye disclosed that a total of 70,770 votes were cast in the election, while 602 ballots were rejected.
The bye-election was conducted across the six local government areas that make up the Ondo South Senatorial District- Okitipupa, Ilaje, Ese-Odo, Irele, Odigbo and Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo.
The poll was held to fill the vacancy created by the appointment of former Senator Jimoh Ibrahim as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
Speaking after the declaration, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Ondo State, Mr. Mutiu Agboke, described the exercise as peaceful and said the lessons learnt from the election would assist the commission in preparations for the 2027 general elections.
