In a development many never anticipated, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday declared the Osun gubernatorial election inconclusive.
Many had expected an outright declaration after the PDP candidate, Ademola Adeleke, polled majority votes of about 254,698 while Gboyega Oyetola of the APC came a close second with 254,345 votes, but that was not the case.
The 353 votes’ difference between the two was enough ground for the returning officer, Joseph Fuwape, to declare the election inconclusive.
“Unfortunately as the returning officer, it’s not possible to declare anybody as the clear winner of the election on the first ballot,” Fuwape, vice chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, said.
He explained that the total registered voters in the five polling units where elections were cancelled is 3,498 votes.
Since that figure was higher than the difference between the votes of the leading candidates, a rerun election had to be conducted, the INEC chief explained.
“I, Joseph Adeola Fuwape, hereby, declare this election inconclusive,” he said.
INEC’s election guideline made pursuant to Section 153 of the Electoral Act stipulates a rerun if the margin of victory in an election is lower than the number of voters in units where elections are cancelled.