Ajimobi loses senatorial election to PDP’s Balogun

Oyo State Governor, Sen. Abiola Ajimobi’s bid to return to the Green Chamber has failed as he lost Saturday’s election in Oyo South Senatorial District.

The governor, a member of All Progressives Congress (APC), lost to his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) opponent, Dr Kolawole Balogun, according to the result announced by the Returning Officer, Prof. Wole Akinsola.

Akinsola said that Balogun polled 105,720 votes to defeat Ajimobi who scored 92, 218 votes in the election.

The current representative of the senatorial district at the Upper Chamber, Sen. Adesoji Akanbi of ADC, polled 49, 437 votes while Dr Fola Akinosun of ADP got 13, 149 votes.

Balogun was Commissioner for Commerce and Industries in the administration of Gov. Adebayo Alao-Akala in the state between 2007 and 2011.

Reacting to the result, APC’s agent for the elction, Dr Azeez Olatunde, said that the party would reject the result, claiming that there were many anomalies in it.

Olatunde, who is APC’s Director of Media and Strategy in the state, said that there were disruptions of the electoral process in some areas, which disenfranchised many voters.

He alleged that the number of voters disenfranchised were more than the margin between the winner and the governor.

On his part, the agent of PDP, Mr Muyiwa Makinde, described the victory as “God ordained’’, saying it was victory for people of the senatorial district and state.