From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
The chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council in Ogun State, Abayomi Sanyaolu, has called on all political parties who participated in the House of Representatives by-election on Saturday for the seat of Remo Federal Constituency to accept the results of the poll, as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, in good faith.
Recall that Elegbeji, who contested on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, polled 41,237 votes to defeat her closest rival, Bola Oluwole of the Peoples Democratic Party, who recorded 14,324 votes.
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Addressing journalists on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, Sanyaolu said that the poll had been contested and won by the APC, adding that the outcome of the by-election should not be allowed to cause unnecessary brouhaha.
He stated that any political party that is disenchanted with the results of the poll, which declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Mrs Adesola Ayoola-Elegbeji, the winner, should head to court to seek redress, rather than engaging in any act capable of hurting the peaceful coexistence of the residents of the state.
He pointed out that the position of the electoral law is that once INEC declares the results of a poll, the option left for aggrieved participants in that electoral process is to approach a competent court of jurisdiction to seek redress.
“Though other political parties also participated in the by-election, the Independent National Electoral Commission has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Mrs Adesola Ayoola-Elegbeji, as the winner of the poll.
“So, as the Chairman of IPAC in the state, what is left to do is to call for the unity of all. We don’t want violence; all that we want is peace for the state to continue to make progress.
“Our duty is to relate with other political parties and to advise that we all give peace a chance. There must be no bloodshed or crisis after the election. If any of the political parties who participated in the by-election is not satisfied with the conduct of the election, the best thing to do is to go to court to seek redress.
“I can recall that during the local government election held in the state last year, we had some issues with the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission, and we went to court and got our judgement against them.
“In this case too, if you are having any misgivings over the last Saturday’s Remo Federal Constituency by-election, don’t take the law into your own hands; just head to court to seek redress and let the peace that we have continued to enjoy in the state prevail,” Sanyaolu said.
Speaking during the briefing, the factional National Secretary of the New Nigeria People’s Party, Oginni Olaposi, also urged anyone dissatisfied with the results of the by-election to approach the court to vent their anger and misgivings over the conduct of the election.
Oginni said that the emphatic victory of the APC in the by-election is traceable to the fact that the governor is from the Remo Federal Constituency, and his giant strides, particularly the construction of the multibillion-naira Agrocargo airport within the vicinity, precisely in Iperu Remo, the governor’s hometown, must have attracted a lot of admiration for the governor’s party.
“I want to say that the election went the way it went because the governor, who is the leader of the ruling party, is from Remo land, Iperu Remo to be precise.
“And we should not forget that the multibillion-naira mega project of the Agrocargo airport is sited in that region. So, the by-election became an opportunity for the people of Remo land to show their appreciation to the governor and therefore voted massively for the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“So, I won’t say that, as an opposition party member, the election was rigged or compromised. I think what swung the vote in favour of the ruling party and the governor is that multibillion-naira airport project, which will serve as a good alternative to the one in Lagos and also help to decongest the airport in Lagos.
“The opposition parties should just go back to the drawing board and see how we can do better next time. We should not say that we want to bring the roof down because our parties did not win.
“And if we feel aggrieved, let’s approach a competent court to seek redress. So, I am appealing for peace and understanding; there is always another day to put up a better performance in the future election,” Oginni said.
Also speaking, the factional National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Abayomi Arabambi, declared that the landslide victory of the APC was a referendum of acceptance of the government of Governor Dapo Abiodun by his kinsmen in Remo land, who have benefitted a lot from his administration.
Arabambi said, “The outcome of the election is a referendum for the government of Governor Dapo Abiodun; he has done a lot for the people in that region, and they compensated him with the emphatic victory for his party, the APC. The cargo airport sited within the region is a game changer.
“And once INEC declares a winner in an election, the next option for whoever has an axe to grind with the conduct of the election is to go to court rather than causing any brigandage.
“So, I congratulate President Bola Tinubu, the governor, and the security agencies for ensuring an enabling environment for the conduct of the election. Any party who is not satisfied with the conduct of the election, as spelt out by the electoral laws, will have to go to court.”
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