It is pleasantly surprising to note the peace and calm which have followed the gubernatorial election in Ondo State over the past weekend in spite of the heat and vapour that characterised the electioneering activities. This follows in the pattern of a similar election which took place in  neighbouring Edo State only two months ago.

But the Ondo election ended on a more pleasant note because the outgoing People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governor, Olusegun Mimiko, congratulated the winner, Rotimi Akeredolu, the flag bearer of the arch rival, the All Progressives Congress (APC). This is in spite of the fact that the candidate Mimiko supported, Eyitayo Jegede of the PDP, has decided to seek justice at the Election Tribunal. The third placed candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), Olusola Oke, also congratulated Akeredolu.

Apart from incidents of alleged vote-buying and minor security issues, the political contenders behaved relatively well, which is why there is peace all over the state.

On the surface of it, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did a commendable job in that, like the Edo election, the Ondo governorship poll was concluded with results announced, unlike the Bayelsa gubernatorial and the Rivers State legislative rerun, which were declared inconclusive.

APC Governor-Elect in Ondo state ,Rotimi Akeredolu and his wife Betty in jubilation at his residence in owo after his declaration as the winner of the Ondo Gov election by INEC.PHOTO;AKEEM SALAU

Media reports and the comments of independent observers also gave the election a pass mark, as the figures independently obtained at the polling units by the INEC and the observers tallied with the final figures declared for each candidate.

Despite these, INEC walked away from this Ondo poll with questions arising from its handling of the internal party quarrels in the PDP. Jegede was denied his right to campaign. INEC, faced with separate court orders in favour of Jegede and his factional rival, Jimoh Ibrahim, chose to put Ibrahim on the ballot, even though the electoral umpire had supervised and approved the primary that threw up Jegede. By the time the Court of Appeal confirmed Jegede as the rightful candidate of the PDP, it was too late for him to campaign, and the INEC refused to shift the election as it did in the Edo case.

INEC must work harder to extricate itself from the growing, sometimes justified insinuations that it has become a willing tool in the hand of the government in power which was not the case during the tenure of Professor Attahiru Jega.

It is now for the courts to look into the matter and resolve all issues arising from it. We urge the political actors involved to go about this matter in the same peaceful manner they conducted themselves during the election.

We urge outgoing Governor Mimiko to live up to his pledge of cooperating to ensure the smooth transfer of power to the Governor-elect, Rotimi Akeredolu.