By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta

The Ogun State chapter of Accord Party, has called on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, to reverse the declaration of Governor Dapo Abiodun as the winner of the Saturday’s governorship election in the State.

The party, while making the call in a statement made available to newsmen in Abeokuta, the State capital, accused INEC of violating the electoral act by declaring Abiodun as the winner of the election.

INEC had on Sunday declared Abiodun the winner of
the election after polling 276,298 votes, while Ladi Adebutu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 262,383 votes to come second.

The statement, signed by the party’s Secretary in the State, Oke Rotimi, described INEC’s declaration as “an act of wickedness and a broad daylight robbery”.

The party insisted that, INEC should have declared the election inconclusive and order re-run at polling units where elections were disrupted by thugs.

According to him, the total number of registered voters in polling units where results were cancelled is more than the margin of lead between Abiodun and Adebutu.

He said, “The declaration, was not in compliance with the provision of section 24(2),(3),(4) and (5) of the Electoral Act, 2022, given that the total number of registered voters in the cancelled areas is substantial to the slim margin between Abiodun and his contender, PDP’s Ladi Adebutu.

“Lawfully, INEC should have declared the election inconclusive and order a rerun at affected polling units. That simply means, since the number of registered voters in the cancelled areas, outweighs the slim margin between the winner and runner up, a winner shouldn’t have been announced but a rerun.”

“Therefore, INEC’s declaration of Dapo Abiodun is a gross violation of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

He called on Chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu to reverse the declaration, saying “It is a blatant abuse of the electoral process and law and such impunity must not be allowed to stay.”