The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to invoke Section 65(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 and review the declaration and return of the Ogun State governorship election. The party demands that the wrongful declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Governor‑elect Adedapo Abiodun, be overturned within seven days, the only remedy available to INEC under the cited provision.
According to the PDP, INEC announced Mr. Abiodun as Governor‑elect after he allegedly received 276,298 votes, compared with 262,383 votes for the PDP’s Oladipupo Adebutu. The party argues that the collated results summary clearly showed the PDP candidate in the lead and that INEC officials were compromised, allegedly colluding with the APC to cancel thousands of PDP votes and declare Mr. Abiodun the winner in violation of the Electoral Act 2022.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, PDP National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba noted that a review of the March 18, 2023 election revealed that the margin of victory reported by the INEC Returning Officer—13,915 votes—was less than the 33,750 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collected in polling units where voting was cancelled or did not take place. He argued that this discrepancy invalidates the declaration and return, which are at odds with the number of PVCs from the affected units.
Ologunagba cited Section 65(1) of the Electoral Act, which states that the returning officer’s decision on unmarked or rejected ballots and on the declaration of scores and return of a candidate is final, “provided that the Commission shall have the power within seven days to review the declaration and return where the Commission determines that the said declaration and return was not made voluntarily or was made contrary to the provisions of the law, regulations and guidelines, and manual for the election.” He further referred to Section 24(3)–(4), which obliges INEC to appoint a new polling date in any unit where the election was disrupted or cancelled before any return can be made.
The PDP maintains that the hurried declaration of the APC candidate was contrary to the Electoral Act 2022, its regulations, and INEC’s own guidelines. The party described the action as reckless, condemnable, and a gross violation of the law and the electorate’s will. It warned that the people of Ogun State are already agitated and unlikely to accept a declaration that does not reflect their expressed choice. Consequently, the PDP urges INEC to review the declaration and return promptly to avert an imminent breakdown of law and order in the state.
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