Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has secured narrow win in the governorship election held on Saturday. The Gateway state is among the 28 states across the country where the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, conducted gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections.
INEC has now declared Governor Abiodun, the All Progressives Congress, APC, winner of the keenly contested election after defeating his closet rival in the race, Ladi Adebutu of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
“That Abiodun Adedapo Oluseun of APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned election,” Prof. Kayode Adebowale, INEC State Returning Officer said.
But the victory ws not a teaparty at all for the governor, who when he contested four years ago with the same candidate, defeated him landslide.
Declaring the incumbent the winner, the electoral umpire said 276, 298 votes to defeat Adebutu who scored 262, 283 votes.
Biyi Otegbeye of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, the second runner up also got 94,754 votes despite the backing of a former governor of the state, Senator, Ibikunle Amosun.
Those that followed the election closely had earlier predicted a victory for the PDP candidate after he recorded an early lead against Governor Abiodun, but the tide change after results from Ijebu, the stronghold of the governor started trickling in.
The final governorship results in the state has not stopped surprising many, considering that pundits had predicted a landslide victory for the governor after his party, the APC secured a wide margin of votes against the PDP during the presidential and National Assembly elections held three weeks ago.
The presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu swept the votes while Atiku Abubakar of the PDP trailed him behind.
In spite of the close race, watchers of the state politics said the governor was very lucky to defeat his opponents considering the division in the state’s APC.
A former governor of the state, Ibikunle Amosun had a running battle with the governor over the control of the soul of the party in the state. After losing out, he backed another candidate to contest against the governor, his party’s candidate.
His candidate, Otegbeye came a distant third in the election.
