Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has pledged to serve the people of Ondo State diligently following his victory in Saturday’s governorship election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Aiyedatiwa the winner after he secured 366,781 votes, defeating his closest rival, Ajayi Agboola of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 117,845 votes.

Olorunfemi Festus of the Labour Party (LP) and Abbas Mimiko of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) received 1,162 and 874 votes, respectively.

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Speaking to journalists in Akure, the state capital, shortly after his victory was announced, Aiyedatiwa expressed gratitude to the electorate. “I thank Ondo for the renewed mandate given to me to be their governor beyond 2025, and I promise to serve them,” he said.

The election saw Aiyedatiwa overcoming a fierce contest against high-profile opponents, including Agboola, a former deputy governor, and Mimiko, the son of a former governor.

INEC’s Returning Officer, Prof. Akinwumi Olayemi Durotimi, Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, declared the results, confirming that Aiyedatiwa fulfilled all requirements to be declared the winner.

The governor, who campaigned on a platform of continuity and development, reassured the people of his commitment to progress.

“This victory is a testament to the resilience and trust of our people. Together, we will chart a new course for prosperity and unity in Ondo State,” Aiyedatiwa added.

The victory marks the beginning of another term for the APC in Ondo State, with Aiyedatiwa set to build on his administration’s achievements.

Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has explained that he conferred the highest national award of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi because of longstanding partnerships.

He made the clarification in a statement on his verified handle on micro-blogging site, X, on Sunday.

He also highlighted the key points of the bilateral discussion to include ‘culture, defense, mining, customs, and education, among others’.

President Tinubu wrote, “I had a productive bilateral session with Prime Minister Modi. We identified several promising areas for enhanced collaboration and cooperation, including culture, defense, mining, customs, and education, among others. As the two largest democracies in the world and in Africa, the strategic partnership between Nigeria and India has stood the test of time. Today’s visit will help advance this cooperation towards our shared prosperity.

“I also honoured Prime Minister Modi @narendramodi with our highest national honour in the ‘Order of the Niger’ honours – the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).

Thank you, PM Modi, for being a good friend of Nigeria.”

Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has vented the strong points on the agenda of his meeting with Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to include ‘defence, energy, technology, trade, health, education’.

Biztellers reports that the Indian leader and his entourage arrived Abuja to the warm reception of President Tinubu and other top government officials on Saturday.

Modi, after a meeting with President Tinubu on Sunday, took to his verified handle on micro-blogging site, X, to share the strong points on the agenda.

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He wrote, “Had a very productive discussion with President Tinubu. We talked about adding momentum to our strategic partnership. There is immense scope for ties to flourish even further in sectors like defence, energy, technology, trade, health, education and more.”