As results of the Ibadan North Federal Constituency bye-election continue to trickle in, indications show that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Hon. Fola Oyekunle, is currently leading the poll.
Ibadan North, the only local government area in Oyo State with a staggering 512 polling units, witnessed a relatively low voter turnout on Saturday.
Despite this, results uploaded so far from various polling units reveal that the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Adewale Olatunji, managed to secure victories in only a handful of units, mostly with narrow margins.
The bye-election was necessitated by the death of the former occupant of the seat, Hon. Olaide Akinremi “Jagaban,” who passed away in July 2024.
Other candidates in the contest include Femi Akin-Alamu of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Olabisi Odususi of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and Hammed Badmus of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
While official results are still being collated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), early figures suggest that Oyekunle remains the frontrunner in the closely watched race.
Meanwhile Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the Ibadan North federal constituency bye-election, Dr. Femi Dexter Akin-Alamu, has raised alarm over what he described as large-scale vote buying. Speaking shortly after casting his vote at Ward 11, Polling Unit 38, University of Ibadan, Akin-Alamu expressed concern about reports indicating that some political parties were inducing voters with money and other incentives in exchange for their votes.
He argued that such practices undermine the integrity of the electoral process and erode public trust in democratic institutions.
According to him, when financial inducements influence voters’ choices, the true will of the people is compromised, reflecting a disturbing trend in the political landscape where unethical tactics are increasingly deployed to secure victory.
