Mimiko Deflates Tinubu; Awaits INEC Declaration as Duly Elected Governor for Second Term
Results released so far by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) clearly show that Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo state is in comfortable lead in the Saturday gubernatorial elections and would returned as duly elected in matters of hours.. Mimiko who is seeking a second term in office has been locked in fierce electioneering campaigns with challengers from the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last three months.
Specifically, the dominant southwest ACN has been more vociferous in the last weeks of the campaigns championed by its national leader and the erstwhile governor of Lagos state, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu The Ondo governorship election has been severally described by analysts as a defining moment for the emerging politics of the southwest which is touted as the bastion of progressive politics. Tinubu and his league of ACN’s governors from Lagos, Ekiti, Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Edo bombarded Ondo state have been very visible in Ondo state with clear message that Mimiko and the Labour Party were threats to the southwest integration agenda of the ACN leadership. A cross-sec
tion of politicians who volunteered opinion to NigerianEcho early Sunday morning agreed that the outcome of the governorship in Ondo is indeed a turning point in the politics of the southwest. One of our respondents argued that the ripples of Mimiko and Labour Party victory would be felt in Ekiti and Osun when elections hold in the states in 2014 considering that ACN is beginning to lose ground in Lagos state where PDP posted impressive showing in the local government elections. A member of ACN who pleaded anonymity conceded that ACN fortune in Oyo and Ogun state would be affected by Mimiko’s performance which would now continue till 2017 all things being equal.
Rresults of the election released so far as at 4:30am on Sunday show that Mimiko has won in 12 of the 15 local government areas where results have been submitted to the INEC headquarters in Akure, the state capital. With results from Odigbo LG as well as Ilaje and Ese-Odo LGs in the coastal areas being awaited, Mimiko’s Labour Party has garnered a total of 218, 874 against PDP;s 117,113 and ACN;s 119,983. For a candidate to emerge winner in the gubernatorial elections in Nigeria, he or she must in addition to securing the highest total votes also scored at least 25% of the votes in at least 2/3 of the local government areas which translate into 12 of the 18 local government areas in Ondo state. From all indications, it appears Mimiko would secure the mandatory 25% in all the local government areas on the basis of the trend so far. There is also a very high probability that the results being awaited in the remaining three local government areas would not alter his lead on the basis of the total votes cast.
The breakdown of the results released so far are
*Akoko SE: ACN-3,330, LP-6,316, PDP-3,425;
*Akoko SW: ACN-13,625, LP-11,833, PDP-12,331;
*Ifedore: ACN-5,522, LP-11,062, PDP-3,916,
*Akure North: ACN-5,671, LP-10,857, PDP-4,916,
*Akoko North East: ACN-8,693, LP-12,153, PDP- 6,847;
*Akoko North West: ACN-9,138, LP-11,675, PDP-7,847
*Ondo East: ACN-2,759, LP-8,044, PDP-3,933;
*Ose: ACN-6,376, LP-11,071, PDP-5,833;
*Akure south: ACN-11,955, LP-49,915, PDP-12,467;
*Idanre: ACN-5,111, LP-15, 990, PDP-5,923;
*Ileoluji/okeigbo: ACN-9,061, LP-11,945, PDP-3,978;
*Owo: ACN-17,967, LP-14,870, PDP-6058;
*Irele: ACN-5,066, LP-9,435, PDP-9,341;
*Okitipupa: ACN-8,495, LP-11,968, PDP-21,024;
*Ondo West: ACN-7,225, LP-31,280, PDP-6,669;
At the INEC’s collation centre in Alagbaka at about 4:45am Sunday, the officials collating results from the local government areas told journalist that the results of the remaining local government areas were being expected before 10am Sunday when the remaining results would be released and formal announcement of the eventual winner of the poll would be made.
