APC wins 16 local councils in Ondo as PDP pulls out of election

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has emerged victorious in 16 of the 18 local government areas of Ondo State in the polls held on Saturday.

The results were announced by the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC) chairman, Joseph Aremo, at the commission’s headquarters in Oba-Ile, Akure North Local Council.

While announcing the results, Aremo revealed that elections in Owo and Ondo West Local Councils had been cancelled and rescheduled due to the omission of one party’s logo on the ballot paper.

The election saw the participation of 12 political parties vying for various positions, including 18 chairmanship, deputy chairmanship, and 203 councillorship seats.

The participating parties included Action Alliance (AA), Action Democratic Party (ADP), Action People’s Party (APP), All Progressives Congress (APC), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Boot Party (BP), and Labour Party, among others. However, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) withdrew from the election 48 hours before polling day, citing a lack of credibility in the ODIEC’s process.

Candidates of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Ondo West had also demanded a cancellation of the election, accusing the ODIEC of using an outdated party logo on the ballot paper instead of the current one. The NNPP chairmanship candidate, Adebayo Olumide Oluwemimo, said the omission confused voters.

Despite the large-scale preparations by the ODIEC, which ensured the timely deployment of election materials, Aremo expressed disappointment over the low voter turnout, describing it as “not encouraging.” He urged political parties to engage in greater voter sensitisation to boost future participation.

Meanwhile, Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa criticised the PDP’s decision to withdraw, labelling it as cowardice. He suggested that the party might have backed out of fear of losing the election. Aiyedatiwa commended the ODIEC for the smooth conduct of the election and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening grassroots development in the state.

He said: “For the PDP to pull out, that is cowardice. They participated in the whole process; the OIEC released the timetable for the election. I don’t know the reason for that. Maybe the fear of losing, every election has its logistics, and other political parties are participating for whatever reason that made them withdraw.”