Agboola Ajayi of the PDP faced a major blow, losing his local government, Ese-Odo, to Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the APC. Aiyedatiwa dominated with 14,511 votes against Ajayi's 7,814, sweeping all 18 local government areas in the state during the gubernatorial election.
The Ondo State governorship election delivered a significant upset as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Agboola Ajayi, lost in his home local government area of Ese-Odo. The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate and incumbent governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, secured a commanding victory in the area.
Official results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the collation center in Akure revealed that Aiyedatiwa received 14,511 votes in Ese-Odo Local Government Area, compared to Ajayi’s 7,814 votes. The Labour Party candidate trailed far behind with only 45 votes.
With this outcome, Aiyedatiwa’s strong performance extended across all 18 local government areas of the state, positioning him for re-election. Ajayi, who had earlier alleged irregularities during the election, accused INEC of bias and demanded the resignation of the commission’s chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, citing concerns over the transparency of the process.
Ese-Odo’s total registered voters stood at 84,888, with 22,975 voters accredited for the election. The results recorded 22,551 valid votes and 417 rejected ballots.
The APC’s victory in Ajayi’s stronghold underscores Aiyedatiwa’s widespread support and consolidates his lead in the race for the governorship. INEC is expected to declare the final results soon, with many already projecting Aiyedatiwa as the winner of the election.
