The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is set to make it official on Wednesday, as it presents the certificates of return to Ondo State Governor-elect, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, and his deputy. The much-anticipated ceremony will take place at INEC’s headquarters in Abuja because, apparently, there’s no better place than the capital to hand over such a critical piece of paper.
This move comes after the dust settled from the Ondo governorship election, which saw Aiyedatiwa, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, securing a landslide victory with 366,781 votes. His main rival, Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), could only muster 117,845 votes.
Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, confirmed the event to PUNCH Online, providing the official green light for the presentation. In his words, “The certificates of return will be presented by the commission to the governor-elect and his deputy on Wednesday.”
Despite the apparent victory, the process hasn’t been without its fair share of controversies. The PDP, for instance, has raised objections, with claims of alleged fraud casting a shadow over the entire election. But, as is often the case, the outcome has been declared, and all that’s left is the ceremonial handover of certificates.
