The All Progressives Congress (APC) has won all 20 chairmanship and 236 councillor positions in Ogun State’s local government elections held on Saturday. The announcement was made by Babatunde Osibodu, Chairman of the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC), who confirmed that 19 political parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party, participated.
However, the election was marred by violence and accusations of electoral misconduct. Ogun State government officials accused PDP’s 2023 gubernatorial candidate, Oladipupo Adebutu, of bringing in over 40 policemen and PDP thugs to intimidate voters and disrupt the electoral process. The allegations also claimed that the police opened fire during the polls in Iperu, wounding Mohammed Efuwape, the newly elected Vice Chairman of Ikenne Local Government, and a voter named Biola, who was critically injured.
In response, Adebutu’s spokesperson, Afolabi Orekoya, vehemently denied the allegations, calling them baseless. He claimed that the violence was a result of APC’s thuggery and suggested that the incident near Adebutu’s house involved an attack by thugs, not electoral violence. Orekoya also accused Governor Dapo Abiodun of orchestrating the violence in Ogun East to influence the outcome of the election.
As tensions rise, both political figures trade blame over the violence, overshadowing the APC’s sweeping victory in the elections.
