The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared APC Governor Dapo Abiodun the winner of Ogun State’s March 18 governorship election. In the presence of State Resident Electoral Commissioner Olaniyi Ijalaye, returning officer Kayode Adebowale announced that Abiodun secured 276,298 votes, ahead of PDP candidate Ladi Adebutu’s 262,383 votes and ADC candidate Biyi Otegbeye’s 94,754 votes. The three major contenders outpolled ten other candidates, and Abiodun was re‑elected by a narrow margin of 13,915 votes.
The victory has been celebrated by the governor and the APC, but the opposition warns that the result will face a lengthy legal battle. The election was marred by widespread violence, ballot‑snatching and vote‑buying across major cities in the state. Armed thugs, some masked, fired shots to disrupt voting at specific polling units. In Iperu Remo, Ikenne LGA—home to both Abiodun and Adebutu—two ballot boxes were seized at Polling Unit 05, Ward 03, Ayegbami. Motorcyclists stormed the unit, chased voters away and beat the Assistant Polling Officer, Alalade Babatunde, despite police firing warning shots nearby. The chaos forced many voters to flee.
Similar incidents occurred elsewhere. In Eleja, Sagamu, thugs set electoral materials ablaze, prompting INEC officials and voters to run for safety. In Itori‑Odo, Abeokuta, ballot boxes were broken, and comparable cases were reported in Idowa, Ijebu Igbo, Ijebu Ode and other towns. While Ogun Central District remained relatively peaceful, most disturbances were concentrated in Ogun East Senatorial District. A voter identified only as Adewunmi accused APC members in Itori‑Odo of the violence. In Isara Remo, PDP chieftain Sesan Asenuga was attacked; in Sagamu, a woman named Mrs. Makanjuola also suffered assault. In Abeokuta South, Quadr Okewunmi was shot near his home after voting in Itori‑Odo; he was later stabilized at Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, awaiting surgery to remove the bullet. Journalists and electoral officers fled Ward 13, Polling Unit 22 in Itori‑Odo after thugs disrupted voting.
Police arrested scores of suspected perpetrators, including a local government chairman. State Commissioner of Police Frank Mba confirmed that 30 alleged electoral offenders were detained during the election.
Vote‑buying was observed across party lines. A credit card, used to redeem a N10,000 pledge, was distributed to voters during voting, particularly in Ogun Central and East senatorial districts. One voter, Moruf Adelaja, said the card would be redeemed after voting for a specific party, though he declined to name it. Another voter, Kudirat, claimed the card came from the PDP, while Idayat Aina said an APC leader gave her a similar card, also refusing to identify the donor.
Political analysts argue that challenging the result in court is unlikely to succeed, noting that the electoral umpire refused to disclose the total number of cancelled votes. Opposition parties contend that the number of cancelled votes exceeds Abiodun’s margin, which, under the Electoral Act, should have led to a non‑declaration of a winner and a rerun in the affected areas. Consequently, protesters in the state capital demanded a rerun. PDP candidate Adebutu led a large crowd to the state INEC office within 72 hours of the election, submitting a protest letter.
Following the protest, eleven of the thirteen parties that contested the election called for supplementary elections in the cancelled polling units. The parties—including the SDP, NNPP, AA, AP, APM, BOOT, LP, ADP, AAC, APP and NRM—issued a joint statement criticizing INEC for declaring a winner despite cancelled votes outnumbering the margin of victory. NNPP state chairman Olaposi Oginni, convener of the coalition, demanded the immediate suspension of the Ogun State Resident Electoral Commissioner and the arrest and prosecution of Prof. Kayode Adebowale, accusing him of “a heinous crime against our democracy.” He alleged massive rigging, ballot‑box snatching in over 100 polling units, voter suppression by thugs under the cover of security agencies, ballot‑snatching and other irregularities. The victorious APC has dismissed these allegations.
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