President Bola Tinubu has urged candidates dissatisfied with the outcome of the Ondo State governorship election to explore the opportunities provided by the judicial system to seek redress.

President Tinubu who congratulated Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) also commended the peaceful conduct of the process.

The President congratulated other candidates of the 17 political parties for the maturity and sense of purpose demonstrated during the campaigns and the election, attributing the success of the polls to the civility in the state.

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, in a statement enjoined political actors to allow their orderly conduct permeate the post-election activities and processes.

“Those dissatisfied with the outcome of the election can explore the opportunities provided by the judicial system to seek redress on areas of conflict,” the statement read.

“President Tinubu believes the Ondo State election was another litmus test of the capacity of the Independent National Electoral Commission, affirming that the electoral body justified the confidence of the people with early preparations, deployment of staff and materials, and handling of the electoral process.”

The President also commended INEC for the efficiency of uploading more than 98 per cent of results on the same day of the election.

The President extended his appreciation to the Nigerian Police Force, National Civil Defence Corps, Federal Road Safety Corps, National Youth Service Corps, the military and other security outfits for their professionalism in maintaining peace and order.

After winning the governorship election in Ondo State, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has announced plans to dominate the Southwestern states.

This bold move aims to solidify APC’s presence in the region.

With its victory in Ondo, Ganduje is confident that APC can secure power in all Southwestern states.

“Our next target now is this geo-political zone, the Southwest geopolitical zone,” he said.

He expressed confidence in the party’s ability to hit its targets, particularly in Southwest Nigeria and commitment to securing victories in the remaining states in the region.

“You know we are good at hitting the target, that is Osun State and Oyo State. We assure you, we will do what is possible to bring them into the fold. So we have political homogeneity in the South-West Geopolitical zone,” he boasted.

The APC has secured a decisive victory in the Ondo State governorship election, garnering 366,781 votes to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which polled 117,845 votes.

Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the incumbent governor, was previously the deputy governor who took office after Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s passing in December 2023. He faced stiff competition from 16 other candidates, including Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

With this victory, the APC has strengthened its hold on the South-West region, now governing Lagos, Ogun, Ekiti, and Ondo states. The PDP, however, governs Osun and Oyo states.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called for the dismissal of the Chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, and officials of the commission at all levels as part of a reform of the electoral process in Nigeria.

Mr Obasanjo made the call in a paper he presented at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum, Yale University, in the United States. The annual lecture honours the late Nigerian writer, Chinua Achebe.

He delivered the address, titled “Leadership Failure and State Capture in Nigeria”, in a pre-recorded speech played at the event.

In his speech, Mr Obasanjo described the 2023 general election as a “travesty”, adding that the reform of the electoral system is a key agenda for the country.

The former president also called for shorter tenures for INEC officials and a more rigorous vetting process to prevent the appointment of partisan individuals.

“As a matter of urgency, we must ensure the INEC Chairperson and their staff are thoroughly vetted. The vetting exercise should produce 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 to re-establish trust in the electoral system by its citizens,” he said.

He argued that “The INEC Chairperson must not only be absolutely above board but must also be transparently independent and incorruptible.”

Mr Obasanjo said the commission willfully failed to utilise two main technological tools at its disposal—the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Election Result Viewing Portal (IReV)—during the 2023 presidential election, despite the promises made by Mr Yakubu.

“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.

“These technologies were touted by the INEC chairman himself. In the end, these technologies did not fail. INEC wilfully failed to use or implement them, which resulted in widespread voting irregularities. It was a case of inviting the fox into the henhouse,” he said.