On Sunday, the All Progressives Congress of Oyo State expressed its happiness with the way the rerun election on Saturday went, sending its candidate, Ibrahim Shittu, back to the state House of Assembly to serve as the representative for Saki West State Constituency.
The Court of Appeal had ordered a rerun election at Unit 07, Ward 06 and Unit 19 in Ward 11 of Saki West State Constituency on Saturday, where the APC candidate polled 13,850 to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Julius Okedoyin, who polled 13,670 votes.
APC, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, in Ibadan, the state capital, attributed the successful conduct of the election to the impartiality, sense of patriotism and professionalism demonstrated by the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission as well as officers and men of all the security agencies mobilised for the exercise.
He said, “The Saturday election was unnecessary because our candidate won a pure mandate in March 2023 when the gubernatorial and House of Assembly polls were conducted but as democrats, we accepted the verdict of the court.
“As we embarked on another round of electioneering, the good people of Saki kept assuring us that the mandate would be restored and they kept their promise even in the face of intimidation and harassment in the hands of some anti-democratic elements.
“The ruling PDP came out for the isolated election in their true colour as desperados and this did not surprise the people. At a time of the effects of the explosion which ravaged the Bodija community in Ibadan and when cases of fire incidents were being recorded in many parts of the state capital in addition to the harrowing experience of the residents of the state on account of inflation, the best which Governor Seyi Makinde can do was to move the entire government machinery to Saki for election in just two polling units.
“But for the determination of the INEC personnel and the bravery of officers and men of the Nigeria Army, Police, DSS, EFCC, NSCDC among others, the exercise would have been compromised by those who believe in vote buying and employment of thugs to win elections.
“With the fresh mandate given to our party at the rerun poll against all odds, it is evident that Nigeria still keeps faith with the Tinubu administration and we are assuring them that all the current challenges facing the country will be fixed soonest and the citizenry will be better for it.
“We are, indeed, grateful to the good people of Saki for standing by their resolve to remain patriotic progressives. We also assure them that President Bola Tinubu, Senator Abdufatai Buhari, Hon. Tajudeen Kareem and Hon. Ibrahim Shittu whom they voted for in the last general election on the platform of our great party will continue to justify the confidence reposed in them.”
