Skip to main content

ADC To Challenge Ondo Local Government Election Result In Court, Vows To Boycott Rerun

To our surprise, some security agencies aided thugs to perpetrate the violence and snatching of the ballot boxes but we are rejecting the entire exercise and shall seek redress.

The African Democratic Congress on Sunday vowed to legally challenge the outcome of the recently concluded local government election in Ondo State in court. 

The party also vowed to boycott the rerun election proposed by the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission in some wards and polling units. 

Image

Mr Bode Iwaloye, a leader of the ADC, who spoke in Akure, the state capital, said the party members have vehemently rejected the result of the election declared by the ODIEC. 

Iwaloye said the ADC had already passed a vote of no confidence in the electoral umpire for conducting an inconclusive council election. 

He said, "Many of our party candidates were threatened and also intimidated to step down before election day. 

"To our surprise, some security agencies aided thugs to perpetrate the violence and snatching of the ballot boxes but we are rejecting the entire exercise and shall seek redress. 

"But we want the international community to beam the searchlight on the forthcoming governorship election in the state using the outcome of the local government election as an example as."

Also speaking, a chairmanship candidate of the party in Ile Oluji/Okeigbo, Mr Rotimi Akinwamide, said they could not vote during the election as electoral officers failed to show up on time for the poll. 

He fingered two aides of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu in the violence that broke out In Igbara Oke and Akoko areas of the state. 

The two aides, Tobi Ogunleye and Kolawole Babatunde, were accused of using armed thugs to disrupt the exercise.  

He said, "Some of the ballot boxes were taken into private residences of APC chieftains for rigging and manipulation of results to favour their candidates. We're not going to participate in any rerun election in the state."

The African Action Congress had also rejected the outcome of the election, citing violence and snatching of ballot papers as the reason for its decision.