Sundiata Post – Former President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed happiness with the success of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the governorship election in Ondo State, which returned Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa with a landslide victory.
In his reaction to the outcome of the election, the former president in a statement signed by Garba Shehu, said the voters had spoken “lucidly and loudly” about the confidence they have in the party and the governor, and their wish, expressed through the ballot box, should be respected by other stakeholders.
According to Buhari, the election outcome has shown that democracy remains strong and cannot be easily overturned in a country as large and diverse as Nigeria.
Buhari said the victory is equally a challenge to the governor-elect, to put in place policies that engender economic growth, tame high unemployment and inflation, and advance the pursuit of welfare programs to make life better for the people.
President Buhari commended the Independent National Electoral Commission and law enforcement agencies for the efforts they put into reducing observed shortcomings in previous elections.
He then wished Governor Aiyedatiwa and his team a successful tenure in office.
The Returning Officer for the election Olayemi Akinwumi, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State declared Aiyedatiwa the winner of the election on Sunday, extending the governor’s stay at the Government House in Alagbaka, Akure.
Aiyedatiwa, the incumbent governor of the Sunshine State polled 366,781 votes to defeat his closest rival and a former deputy governor of the state Ajayi Agboola who flew the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag. He scored 117,845 votes, more than twice lower than the APC candidate.
