Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja
The two main candidates in Saturday’s Lagos East senatorial bye-election, Tokunbo Abiru of All Progressives Congress and Babatunde Gbadamosi of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP are from Ikorodu division of Lagos State.
Indeed, the families of the duo are not new to each other in such senatorial contests.
In 1979, the late Justice Abiru, Tokunbo’s father contested on the platform of defunct Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN against SOG Gbadamosi, the father of Babatunde.
Justice Abiru won the election and represented the senatorial district in the National Assembly between 1979 and 1983.
His son repeated the 1979 feat for APC in the bye-election conducted on Saturday as results declared across the five local governments which made up the senatorial district revealed.
The APC candidate also secured an overwhelming victory in the five local governments to emerge the new occupier of the senatorial seat which became vacant following the death of the former occupant, Bayo Oshinowo early in the year.
In Ikorodu LGA, the APC candidate polled 19,204 votes to beat Gbadamosi who got 3,766 votes.
In Ibeju -Lekki LGA, the APC candidate got 16336 while his PDP opponent can only secure 937 votes.
Also, in Kosofe LGA, the APC candidate scored 13,723 while Gbadamosi got 2661 votes.
In Epe LGA, Abiru scored 22,213 votes to defeat his PDP opponent who scored paltry 1,826 votes.
The situation is not different Shomolu LGA as the APC candidate scored APC: 17,728 to defeat his PDP opponent who scored only 2, 067 votes.
This set the stage for declaration of Abiru as the winner of the senatorial contest by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) early Sunday morning.
The INEC Returning Officer for the by-election, Prof. Ademola Oremosu of the University of Lagos, declared the result at Somolu collation centre at 7:20a.m. on Sunday.
Oremosu said that Abiru polled a total of 89, 204 votes to defeat his closest rival from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Babatunde Gbadamosi, who scored 11,257 votes.
Declaring the winner, Oremosu said: ” I, Prof. Oremosu Ademola, certify that I am the Returning Officer for the 2020 Lagos East Senatorial by-election held on the 5th day of December Year 2020. The election was contested.
“That Abiru Mukhail Adetokunbo of All Progressives Congress, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of votes is hereby declared the winner and returned elected.”
According to him, Muyiwa Adebanjo of Action Alliance (AA) got a total of 96 votes, Mercy Adeoye of African Action Congress (AAC) scored 248 votes, while John Kome of African Democratic Congress (ADC) polled 376 votes.
He said that Adebowale Ogunlaru of Action Democratic Party (ADP) polled 535 votes, Olusola Babatope of Allied Peoples Movement (APM) scored 202 votes, Florence Trautman of Labour Party (LP) got 58 votes, while Adijat Lawal of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) polled 52 votes.
Oremosu said Akin Olukunle of National Rescue Movement (NRM) got 65 votes, Saheed Aluko of Social Democratic Party (SDP) scored 35 votes, while Taiwo Temitope of Young Progressive Party (YPP) scored 208 votes.
According to him, out of the total registered voters of 1,261,673 in the district, the total accredited voters was 104, 894, the total vote cast was 104, 405, the total valid votes was 102, 336, while the rejected votes were 2,069.
Commenting, Mr Dele Oshinowo, the APC Party Agent for the Senatorial election, expressed gratitude to residents of the district for voting Abiru, saying the candidate would not let them down.
Oshinowo, who is Chairman, Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area, Lagos State, commended INEC and security agencies for conducting a peaceful and credible by-elections.
The NRM agent, Mrs Temilola Akinade, who described the election as free and fair, said that the party would buckle up and forge ahead to gain acceptability.
Mr Olusegun Jaiyeola, the party agent for YPP said: “To be candid and fair, the election is fair from what I could see. Other political parties need to come up, re-strategise because the gap was too much.
“However, the turnout was too low than expected, especially after the EndSARS protest. People need to take election more seriously. Nigeria needs ballot revolution.”