The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has countered claims by the former Secretary to the Ondo State Government (SSG) , Ifedayo Sunday Abegunde that the 2016 governorship election in Ondo was won by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Abegunde popularly known as Abena resigned his appointment as SSG on Monday after accusing Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of maltreating him.
Featuring on a Private Radio personality programme hours after resigning in Akure, Abegunde had claimed that Governor Akerodolu, who contested on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) lost the 2016 governorship election to the PDP candidate, Eyitayo Jegede.
According to him, it was through the powers from him (Abena) and other APC pillars that made INEC declare Akeredolu as governor after he had lost it.
His words: “Akeredolu didn’t win the election in 2016 but we made it possible for him to become governor. We were the pillars behind him and we will not support him again. He will lose this time around”
But INEC said Abegunde’s claims were outrageous, describing them as untrue and baseless.
The commission through his spokesperson in the state said it was impossible for the commission to rig the election in favour of any candidate.
“How can anyone in good conscience make such spurious claims”
Akeredolu polled a total of 224,842 votes to defeat 27 other candidates in the 2016 election.
Akeredolu was followed by Jegede, who polled a total of 150,380 votes while Olusola Alex Oke of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in third place scored a total of 126,889 votes.
Only 584,997 voters were accredited for the election out of the 1,647,973 registered voters. A total of 580,887 votes were cast while 551,272 votes were valid.
29,615 votes were rejected across the eighteen (18) Local Government Areas in the state during the election.
