INEC Declares Winner Of Ondo South Senatorial By-election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Prof. Dayo Faduyile of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the Ondo South Senatorial District bye-election held on Saturday.

Naija News reports that Faduyile, a former National President of the Nigerian Medical Association, is currently the Special Adviser on Health Matters to Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

The Returning Officer, Prof. Gbenga Solomon-Ibileye, who is the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, announced the result on Sunday at the collation centre in Okitipupa, Okitipupa Local Government Area of the state.

Solomon-Ibileye said Faduyile polled 68,474 votes to defeat Adeolu Akinwunmi of the Allied People’s Movement (APM), who scored 1,411 votes.

Adesanya Olaoluwa of the Action Peoples Party (APP) recorded 213 votes, while Clement Funso-Nejo of the Boot Party (BP) scored 70 votes.

The returning officer said the total votes cast were 70,770, with 602 rejected ballots.

The bye-election was conducted across six local government areas in the senatorial district.

They are Okitipupa, Ilaje, Ese-Odo, Irele, Odigbo and Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo.

The election was held to fill the vacant seat left by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim following his appointment as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ondo State, Dr Mutiu Agboke, described the bye-election as a “testing ground” for the 2027 general elections.

Speaking after the declaration of the result, Agboke said the minor challenges observed during the poll would help the commission improve future elections.

He added that all officials deployed to riverine areas returned safely, with no negative incidents recorded.