BREAKING: INEC Declares Osun Election Inconclusive, Fixes Thursday Sept 27 For Run-Off

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(News Investigators) /The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Thursday September 27, as run-off date for the election rerun in the inconclusive Osun State governorship election.

The rerun date was announced by the Commission Sunday, shortly after it declared the gubernatorial election keenly contested by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Ademola Adeleke and All Progressive Congress (APC) Gboyega Oyetola, “inconclusive”.

At the end of the collation of votes, Mr Adeleke, had won majority votes of about 254,698 votes while Gboyega Oyetola of the APC polled 254,345 in a neck-to-neck result. Both leading candidates had a difference of about 354 votes.

INEC’s Presiding Officer in the Osun election, Joseph Fuwape, it was not possible for him “to declare anybody as the clear winner of the election on the first ballot.”

According to Mr. Fuwape, 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 re-run election had to be conducted.

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.

Section 69 of Electoral Act 2010 as amended provides that, “Where two or more candidates pull equal number of votes being the highest in an election, the Returning Officer shall not return any of the candidates and a fresh election shall be held for the candidates on a date to be appointed by the Commission

Where no candidate gets the required spread, the Commission shall within seven (7) days of the result of the election arrange for another election between the candidate who scored the highest number of votes at the election and one among the remaining candidates who has a majority of votes in the highest number of States. Where there are more than one candidate with a majority of votes in the highest number of States, the candidate with the highest total of votes cast at the election shall be the second candidate for the election”

Announcing his decision at the collation in Osogbo, Sunday, Mr. Fuwape said “unfortunately as the returning officer, it’s not possible to declare anybody as the clear winner of the election on the first ballot.

“I, Joseph Adeola Fuwape, hereby, declare this election inconclusive,” he said.

The rerun election is expected to hold in areas where elections are cancelled. These are Orolu, Ife South, Ife North and Osogbo.

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