Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, was presented with his Certificate of Return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday, March 30. The governor, alongside his deputy, Mrs. Noimot Salako-Oyedele, and 25 members-elect for the State House Assembly, expressed gratitude to the people of the state and attributed his victory in the March 18 governorship election to the Almighty God and their benevolence.
Abiodun praised President Muhammadu Buhari for creating an enabling environment for free, fair, credible, and transparent elections in the country. He added that his administration would build on the achievements of his first term while injecting new ideas that would benefit the people.
The governor extended an invitation to his opponents to join hands with his administration to build the future of the state together. Abiodun thanked the security agencies and staff of the electoral umpire for their tireless efforts in ensuring the peaceful conduct of the elections in the state.
The INEC National Commissioner in charge of Ogun, Osun, and Ondo States, Prof. Adekunle Ajayi, who presented the certificate to the governor, noted that the presentation was in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 72, Section 1, which stipulated that certificates should be issued to winners within 14 days after elections.
Prof. Ajayi said that the elections were highly anticipated, and INEC made use of technology to improve the process, which saw a high number of people, especially youths, taking part. He stressed that the lessons learned during the elections would be turned into a working document to serve as a standard for subsequent elections, making the electoral body one of the best in the world.
The INEC National Commissioner thanked the people of the state for their peaceful conduct during the elections, declaring that the security agencies, the Nigeria Peace Committee, development partners, the media, and all relevant stakeholders worked towards the success of the elections.
Dignitaries present at the occasion included former Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon Dimeji Bankole, Sen Adegbenga Kaka, APC State Chairman, Chief Yemi Sanusi, among others.
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