The All Progressives Congress (APC) currently holds a commanding lead in all 18 local government areas announced so far in the Ondo State elections, with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) trailing in second place. This information was shared during the collation process, which is being overseen by Prof. Olayemi Akinwunmi.
Prof. Akinwunmi announced a temporary recess to allow time for the arrival of results from the remaining local government areas, which he noted are distant from Akure, the state capital. Specifically, he mentioned that results from Ilaje and Ese Odo local government areas are still pending, and he proposed resuming the collation process at 12 noon to accommodate the time required for their arrival.
“I think we can just adjourn till 12 noon, please. Two remaining local governments are not here yet, so we adjourn till 12 noon. The local governments, Ilaje and Ese Odo, are very far, so we need to give them time to arrive here,” Prof. Akinwunmi stated.
Out of the 15 local governments whose results have already been announced, Ifedore, Ondo East, Ileoluji Oke-Igbo, Idanre, Irele, Akoko South West, Owo, Ondo West, Akoko South East, Akoko North West, Ose, Akoko North East, Akure South, Akure North, and Okitipupa have all declared results. The remaining three local governments yet to be declared are Ilaje, Odigbo, and Ese Odo.
During the collation, the only notable point of contention emerged in Idanre, where a PDP agent raised concerns about alleged electoral irregularities, including vote buying, ballot box snatching, and the complete absence of elections in some areas. The agent requested that the returning officer invalidate the Idanre results.
In an earlier interview with Channels Television in Akure before the collation began, INEC National Commissioner Prof. Kunle Ajayi assured residents of Ondo State that the results would be finalized by no later than 6 am. “I can assure you that until we declare the winner, we won’t leave here. We will wait until the last local government before we leave,” Prof. Ajayi emphasized, adding that he was optimistic the process could conclude by 6 am.
