#OsunDecides2018: Why INEC Declared Osun Election Inconclusive

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revealed why it declared the 2018 Osun state governorship election inconclusive.

AN24had reported earlier that INEC fixed September 27 for Osun State governorship election rerun. The decision came after the Commission declared Saturday’s poll as inconclusive.

Announcing the results at the INEC collation centre in Osogbo, the Osun state capital, the Returning Officer of the Commission, Professor Adeola Fuwape, said the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 254,698 votes while ruling All Progressives Party (APC) scored 254,345 votes.

However, the electoral umpire declared the election inconclusive due to irregularities which marred the poll at some polling units in Ife North, Ife South and Orolu local government areas.

AN24 understands that they were also cases of card reader malfunctioning, ballot box snatching, among others, which led to the cancellation of 3,498 votes recorded in the affected polling units.

The Returning Officer, who is the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, explained that the total registered voters in the five polling units where elections were cancelled are 3,498 votes.

The affected local government areas are Orolu, Ife North, Ife South and Osogbo, the state capital.

Since that figure was higher than the difference between the votes of the leading candidates, Fuwape said a rerun election had to be conducted.

“Unfortunately as the returning officer, it’s not possible to declare anybody as the clear winner of the election on the first ballot,” Fuwape said.