Ondo By-Election: 673,446 Voters Set To Decide Senator’s Successor

‎No fewer than 673,446 registered voters will head to the polls on June 20 to elect a new senator for Ondo South Senatorial District following the vacancy created by the appointment of former lawmaker, Jimoh Ibrahim, as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
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‎The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) disclosed this on Thursday during a stakeholders’ meeting held in Okitipupa, the headquarters of the senatorial district.
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‎The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Ondo State, Dr. Mutiu Olaleke Agboke, said the commission had concluded arrangements for the conduct of the bye-election.
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‎According to him, the Senate declared the seat vacant on April 28, 2026, and directed INEC to conduct a bye-election in line with constitutional provisions.
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‎Agboke said the eligible voters would cast their ballots across 1,354 polling units and 66 registration areas spread across the six local government areas in the district.
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‎The local government areas are Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo, Odigbo, Irele, Ilaje, Ese-Odo and Okitipupa.
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‎He noted that the voter register had been verified and cleaned, adding that the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise would not affect the register to be used for the election.
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‎The REC disclosed that non-sensitive election materials had already been distributed, while sensitive materials would be received and deployed in the presence of political parties and security agencies.
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‎He further revealed that 1,359 BVAS machines had been tested and certified for the exercise, with 264 backup devices set aside for contingencies.
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‎”We want to assure all stakeholders that INEC is fully prepared for the Ondo South Senatorial District bye-election. The voter register has been verified, election materials are being deployed according to schedule, and only the votes cast by the electorate will determine the winner,” he said.

‎Agboke urged political actors and voters to maintain peace before, during and after the election. He added that candidates of the APC, APM, APP and Boot Party would contest the senatorial seat.