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Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Ondo Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, yesterday, inaugurated the newly elected chairmen of the 18 local government areas in the state, with a charge to ensure grassroots development.
Governor Akeredolu, who lauded the state Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC) for a smooth and peaceful exercise, said the outcome of the election showed the wishes of the people.
All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates in the 18 councils were declared winners of the chairmanship election.
Also, 194 out of 198 councillor-ship seats were won by APC candidates while elections into four seats were declared inconclusive.
Speaking at the inauguration of the new chairmen, Governor Akeredolu said the election that produced the council chiefs was a successful one.
“We have tried our best since the inception of this administration by making the people the central focus of our policies. We have tried to keep all unscrupulous persons masquerading as servants of the people at bay. We have severed ties from those whose deeds and preferences stand against decency and are inimical to the well-being of the people.
“Our ambition has been shaped by the overriding interest of the state. We have never been under any illusion that governance will not pose its challenges, considering the precarious state of the economy when we assumed office and the continued slide in the economic fortunes of the country.
“We have, however, remained undaunted and resolute in our resolve to abridge the yawning gap in the welfare of our people. We have taken steps which posterity will adjudge as prescient. We have succeeded, largely, in abridging the infrastructural deficit in spite of acute paucity of funds.
“Workers and citizens have felt the direct and positive impact of governance. We will continue to strive to make the voice of the people count in all decisions taken on their behalf as we move into the second phase of our statutory mandate of service.
“The impressive turn-out in the local government election confirms that the partnership between the government and the people is an enduring one,” he said.
An APC chieftain, Nuel Elehinle, has lauded ODIEC for the transparent manner at which it conducted the last Saturday’s local government election.
Elehinle also commended the security operatives for allowing peace reign during the exercise, just as he hailed Governor Akeredolu for creating an enabling environment for the electoral body to operate.
