By-election: 4 political parties jostle for Ondo South Senate seat

Four political parties will battle for the vacant Ondo South Senatorial seat in the by-election scheduled for June 20, 2026, as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) intensifies preparations for credible poll. The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Ondo State, Dr Mutiu Agboke, disclosed this during a stakeholders’ meeting held in Okitipupa, where he announced that the All Progressives Congress (APC), Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM), Action Peoples Party (APP) and the Boot Party had successfully fielded candidates for the election. The by-election is being conducted to fill the vacancy created by the appointment of former senator representing Ondo South, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Agboke assured stakeholders that INEC was fully prepared to conduct a free, fair and transparent election across the six local government areas that make up the senatorial district. According to him, 673,446 registered voters spread across 1,354 polling units and 66 wards in Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo, Odigbo, Irele, Ilaje, Ese-Odo and Okitipupa local government areas are expected to participate in the exercise. He noted that the commission had put all necessary logistics in place, including the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) to ensure transparency in the conduct of the election and the transmission of results. The REC disclosed that all sensitive election materials, including ballot papers and result sheets, had been received and secured, while 1,359 BVAS machines had been tested and certified for use. He added that 264 backup devices had also been provided to address any technical issues that may arise on election day.