Ondo election: I wish Akeredolu was here to witness my declaration -Aiyedatiwa

Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State expressed his wish that his late predecessor, Rotimi Akeredolu, could have been present to witness his declaration as the governor of the state.

Akeredolu passed away last year after battling prostrate cancer, and Aiyedatiwa succeeded him in office.

Aiyedatiwa, who ran as the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), won the election after defeating his main rival, Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In an emotional interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, the governor dedicated his victory to the late governor.

“The Lord gives and takes but today he is no more. How I wish he was present in that banquet hall when I was declared in the company of other brother governors. That would have been really good but God knows better,” he said.

Aiyedatiwa, who is the incumbent governor, polled 366,781 votes to defeat his closest rival and a former deputy governor of the state Ajayi Agboola of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who raked in 117,845 votes.