The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has formally declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu, as the winner of the presidential election in Ekiti State.
The INEC Presiding Officer, Akeem Lasisi, announced the result at the State Collation Centre in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday afternoon.
Mr Tinubu’s closest rival, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), scored over 25 per cent of the votes cast in the state with a total of 89,554 votes while Mr Obi of the Labour Party got 11,397 votes, thus unable to meet the 25 per cent requirement in the state.
To be declared winner of the presidential election, a candidate must have the highest number of votes cast in the election and score at least 25 per cent of votes in 25 states (two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 states and Abuja).
Ekiti, one of Nigeria’s smallest states by population and land mass, has become the first of Nigeria’s 36 states and Abuja to formally declare the final result of the presidential election.
Ekiti, in the South-west, is currently governed by the APC through Governor Biodun Oyebanji. Mr Oyebanji’s predecessor, Kayode Fayemi, is also of the APC and a key supporter of Mr Tinubu.
One popular PDP politician in Ekiti, ex-Governor Ayo Fayose, is also believed to have worked for Mr Tinubu, having joined camps with PDP governors opposed to Atiku.
Before the election, Mr Oyebanji had said the state was indebted to Mr Tinubu and would pay back with massive votes during the election.
Presiding Officer Speaks
While addressing journalists, Mr Lasisi, a professor, appreciated the residents of the states for providing a conducive environment for INEC staff.
The APC party agent at the collation venue, Sola Arogundade, expressed his satisfaction with the voting exercise. He said he believed his party will win in the majority of Nigeria’s 36 states.
With Ekiti having a total vote cast of 314,472 in this election, Mr Arogundade said that the state has never produced more than 400,000 votes since the return of democracy in 1999.
The PDP agent at the collation centre, Aribisala Olawale, declined to speak at the venue, saying he needed to send an important document to Abuja.
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