By: Tunji Okunlola
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Prof. Dayo Faduyile of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the Ondo South Senatorial District by-election held on Saturday.
The result was announced Sunday at the collation centre in Okitipupa Local Government Area by Returning Officer Prof. Gbenga Solomon-Ibileye, Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja. Faduyile polled 68,474 votes to defeat his rivals and emerge as senator-elect for the district.
His closest challenger, Adeolu Akinwunmi of the Allied People’s Movement (APM), came a distant second with 1,411 votes, while Adesanya Olaoluwa of the Action Peoples Party (APP) garnered 213 votes. Clement Funso-Nejo of the Boot Party polled 70 votes. A total of 70,770 votes were cast, with 602 declared invalid.
Speaking after the announcement, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ondo State, Mutiu Agboke, described the exercise as a valuable test of the commission’s readiness ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying it had helped identify areas requiring improvement before the next nationwide polls.
Despite some operational challenges, Agboke said the election was conducted peacefully across all six local government areas comprising the senatorial district -Okitipupa, Ilaje, Ese-Odo, Irele, Odigbo, and Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo.
“The results of the election reflected the people’s voice and thank God that all INEC staff who went to the riverine areas returned safely, and there was no negative report from anywhere,” he said.
The by-election was triggered by the appointment of the seat’s former occupant, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Faduyile will serve out the remainder of the current legislative term in the National Assembly.
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