By Our Reporter
Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has emerged winner of last Saturday’s governorship election with a wide margin of votes.
Aiyedatiwa polled 366, 781 to defeat his closet rival, Hon Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party who got 117,845.
Political analysts said it was the biggest electoral defeat since the state was created in 1976.
Aiyedatiwa has also made history as the first person from a small riverine community (Obenla) to emerge as governor of the state.
Candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Prince Adeyemi Nejo, came a distant third with 4,138 votes.
A total of 508,963 voters were accredited, 12 896 votes were rejected while 497,077 were actual votes cast in Saturday’s election.
INEC Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor of Federal University, Lokoja, Prof. Akinwumi Olayemi Durotimi, who declared Aiyedatiwa winner of the poll said he polled the highest number of votes cast.
Prof. Akinwumi said Aiyedatiwa met all the constitutional requirements and declared him Governor-elect.
The victory of Aiyedatiwa was expected but it was the margin of defeat that was in contention.
Aiyedatiwa is the first Governor in the state to serve as Deputy Governor, Acting Governor, and an elected Governor. His fresh mandate will begin in February next year.
What made the victory of Aiyedatiwa easy and smooth was the refusal of many chieftains of the PDP to support his candidacy. Those who refused to support Ajayi said it was payback time for him to leave the party.