PDP, PPN kick as ACN wins Ogun LG poll

Protests on Sunday greeted the release of the results of Saturday’s local government election in Ogun State as the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria swept the polls.

As the state Independent Electoral Commission released the results of the poll, the main opposition parties, the People’s Democratic Party and the People’s Party of Nigeria kicked, rejecting the outcome of the exercise.

The electoral body said the ACN recorded a landslide victory in the council poll winning 19 chairmanship seats out of the 20 in the state.

OGSIEC added that the ruling party won 217 councillorship seats, while the PDP and the PPN won eight and one councillorship seats respectively.

The commission withheld the results of Imeko-Afon Local Government council pending the determination of a court order in respect of the poll in the area.

The OGSIEC Chairman, Alhaji Risikat Ogunfemi, added that Certificates of Return would be presented to the elected council chairmen on Monday.

The conduct of the polls had reportedly been marred by low turnout, irregularities and violence.

The PDP and PPN have however cried foul over the results of the council poll, demanding a cancelation of the election.

Former Senior Special Assistant to former president Olusegun Obasanjo on Political Matters, Dr. Gbolade Osinowo, demanded the cancellation of the results, particularly in Ijebu North Local Government Area.

Osinowo, at a news conference on Sunday in Ijebu Igbo, said the council election was an assault on democracy.

He alleged that rather than declaring the results of the council poll at the ward level as stipulated by the electoral guidelines, “OGSIEC went to Abeokuta and started dishing out fictitious results”.

He said the irregularities would be challenged at the Local Government Election Petitions Tribunal.

In the same vein, the chairman of the state PDP Caretaker Committee, Chief Ireti Oliyide, said the results were unacceptable to his party.

Also, the Bayo Dayo faction of the party in the state described the poll as “elaborate sham”.

The Director of Organisation of the faction, Mr. Segun Sowunmi, alleged in a statement that the election was characterised by massive rigging and other electoral irregularities.

PPN Director of Organisation, Deji Kalejaiye, in a statement said it was “disheartening to witness OGSIEC and other security agencies involved in the election openly declaring support for the ruling party.