The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the result of the Ondo state governorship election.

Lucky Aiyedatiwa, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was declared the winner of the Ondo state governorship election held on Saturday.

Aiyedatiwa, the incumbent governor of Ondo state, won the election in all 18 LGAs, securing 366,781 votes to defeat his closest rival, Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who received 117,845 votes.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Debo Ologunagba, PDP spokesperson, said the poll “runs short of all expectations and requirements of a free, fair and credible election.”

“The Peoples Democratic Party and indeed all lovers of democracy in Nigeria and across the world have just witnessed the worst election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),” the statement reads.

Ologunagba further claimed that the election “witnessed the height of electoral swindle, deceit and manipulation” allegedly perpetrated by the APC.

He added that the poll “witnessed widespread election merchandising, monetisation and barefaced vote buying” and voter suppression.

Ologunagba called on Nigerians and the international community to take “serious action” to address all forms of election manipulation and protect the nation’s democracy.

The PDP spokesman concluded by stating that the party will “take appropriate action” after reviewing the election outcome.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called for the appointment of new, credible leaders for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with short tenures, in order to prevent corruption and restore trust in Nigeria’s electoral system.

Obasanjo made the comments during the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum held at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, USA.

In his keynote address at the forum, titled ‘Leadership failure and state capture in Nigeria,’ Obasanjo described the 2023 general elections as a “travesty.”

The former president emphasized that reforming the electoral system is a critical issue for the country, stressing the need for thorough vetting of INEC officials to avoid partisan appointments.

“As a matter of urgency, we must make sure the INEC chairperson and his or her staff are thoroughly vetted,” Obasanjo said.

“The vetting exercise should yield dispassionate, non-partisan actors with impeccable reputations.”

“Nigeria must ensure the appointment of new credible INEC leadership at the federal, state, local government, and municipal—city, town, and village levels—with short tenures—to prevent undesirable political influence and corruption and re-establish trust in the electoral systems by its citizens.”

“The INEC chairperson must not only be absolutely above board, but he must also be transparently independent and incorruptible.”

Obasanjo further stated that Nigeria must prevent electoral interference at every level, protecting elections from both foreign and local malevolent actors to safeguard democratic integrity.

He also advocated for the implementation of clearly defined financial regulations for political campaigns to ensure transparency and accountability.

“On the local level, we should implement and enforce clearly defined financial regulations for political campaigns and establish effective control and enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance with financial regulations,” the former president said.

“And intensify activities to prepare and secure the voting infrastructure, such as safeguarding the technology used to collate, transmit, verify, and disseminate election results.”

Obasanjo alleged that INEC deliberately failed to use the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) and election viewing portal (IReV) technologies during the 2023 presidential election.

“The BVAS and IReV are two technological innovations that, prior to 2023, were celebrated for their potential to enhance the accuracy and transparency of our election results, eliminate the threat of election rigging, and boost public trust in electoral outcomes,” he said.

“These technologies were touted by the INEC chairman himself. In the end, these technologies did not fail.”

“INEC willfully failed to use or implement them, which resulted in widespread voting irregularities. It was a case of inviting the fox into the henhouse.”

Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Ondo state governor-elect, expressed his wish that Rotimi Akeredolu, his late principal, could have been alive to witness his victory.

Aiyedatiwa, the current governor of Ondo, triumphed across all 18 LGAs, securing 366,781 votes to defeat his closest rival, Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 117,845 votes.

Aiyedatiwa assumed leadership of the state following Akeredolu’s death from protracted prostate cancer in 2023.

In an interview with Channels Television after his victory, Aiyedatiwa reflected on Akeredolu’s support for his political journey.

“How I wish he was present in that banquet hall when I was declared in the company of other brother governors. That would have been really good, but God knows better,” he said.

“It is so sad and painful that he didn’t live to see the manifestation of what he himself spoke about. I do refer to him sometimes as the man who saw tomorrow.”

“He knew that I was going to succeed him as governor. He knew because he wanted me to and was ready to give me the full backing.”