LIVE UPDATE: Osun State Governorship Re-run Election (APC vs PDP)

The stage is set to conclude Osun State governorship election declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday.

Today, Thursday, September 22, all 48 political parties vying for the post will go to the poll; but the real battle is between the PDP and the APC.

In the inconclusive election held Saturday, Ademola Adeleke of the PDP scored 254,698 votes to beat his APC rival, Gboyega Oyetola, who polled 254,345 votes. The PDP thus holds a narrow lead of 353 votes over the APC.

The electoral commission however declared the election inconclusive because the margin between the two leading parties, PDP and APC, is less than the number of cancelled votes (3,498) in seven polling units where results was cancelled across four local governments.

The Returning Officer, Joseph Fuwape, who is the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, while declaring the final results, said he could not “fairly” return Ademola Adeleke as the winner because of the provisions of the law regarding cancelled votes.

Subsequently, INEC picked Thursday to hold the rerun in the following polling units:

– Ife North, Ward 10, PU2

– Ife South, Olode Ward 07, PU12, Adereti Village

– Ife South Osi Ward 8 PU10, Aluti Erin Primary School, Albert village

– Orolu Ward 08 PU001, Kajola village

– Orolu Ward 08 PU004 Idi Iya village

– Orolu Ward 09 PU 003 Gbogbo Primary School Adeleke

– Osogbo Ataoja Ward 05 PU 017 Adewale Street.

Already, politicking has been intense for the 3,498 possible votes from these polling units. In the past days, both APC and PDP have claimed Iyiola Omisore, a strong Ife politician who came third in the initial election, has agreed to work with them. Mr Omisore and his party, SDP, however cleared the air yesterday when they declared support for APC.

The game has also been hot in some of these polling units. In Osogbo on Tuesday, three people, including a 12-year-old girl, were shot at Alekuwodo area of Osogbo.

As expected, the battle will be keen.

ORIENTAL TIMES will bring you live updates of happenings from the seven polling units and the final collation centre.