# 2016 Ondo State gubernatorial election

The 2016 Ondo State gubernatorial election occurred in Nigeria on 26 November 2016, the APC nominee Rotimi Akeredolu won election, defeating Eyitayo Jegede of the PDP.
Rotimi Akeredolu emerged APC gubernatorial candidate after scoring 669 votes and defeating his closest rival, Segun Abraham, who received 635 votes, Olusola Oke came third with 583 votes and Ajayi Boroffice had 471 votes. He picked Agboola Ajayi as his running mate. Eyitayo Jegede was the PDP candidate with Prince John Ola Mafo as his running mate. 28 candidates contested in the election.

## Electoral system

The Governor of Ondo State is elected using the plurality voting system.

## Primary election
### APC primary

The APC primary election was held on September 4, 2016. Rotimi Akeredolu won the primary election polling 669 votes against 3 other candidates. His closest rival, Segun Abraham, had 635 votes, Olusola Oke came third with 583 votes and Ajayi Boroffice received 471 votes.

### PDP primary

The PDP primary election was held on August 22, 2016. Eyitayo Jegede won the primary election polling 760 votes against Hon. Saka Lawal, the deputy governorship candidate of the PDP in the 2012 governorship election, who received 22 votes.

## Results

A total number of 28 candidates registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission to contest in the election.
The total number of registered voters in the state was 1,647,973, while 584,997 voters were accredited. Total number of votes cast was 580,887, while number of valid votes was 551,272. Rejected votes were 29,615.
| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
| | Rotimi Akeredolu | All Progressives Congress | 224,842 | 33.15 |
| | Eyitayo Jegede | People's Democratic Party | 150,380 | 22.17 |
| | Olusola Alex | Alliance for Democracy | 126,889 | 18.71 |
| | Other candidates | | 176,050 | 25.96 |
| Total | Total | Total | 678,161 | 100.00 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 678,161 | 95.82 |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 29,615 | 4.18 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 707,776 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 1,647,973 | 42.95 |
| Source: INEC |||||

### By local government area

Here are the results of the election by local government area for the two major parties. The total valid votes of 551,272 represents the 27 political parties that participated in the election. Blue represents LGAs won by Rotimi Akeredolu. Green represents LGAs won by Eyitayo Jegede.
| LGA | Rotimi Akeredolu APC | Rotimi Akeredolu APC | Eyitayo Jegede PDP | Eyitayo Jegede PDP | Total Votes |
| LGA | # | % | # | % | # |
| Ondo West | 10,672 | | 17,382 | | |
| Irele | 11,138 | | 5,907 | | |
| Ifedore | 10,958 | | 6,747 | | |
| Akoko North-East | 13,645 | | 6,496 | | |
| Ile Oluji/Okeigbo | 10,681 | | 8,306 | | |
| Ondo East | 4,253 | | 7,317 | | |
| Ose | 13,454 | | 6,520 | | |
| Akure North | 10,710 | | 6,520 | | |
| Akoko South-East | 6,384 | | 4,239 | | |
| Akoko South-West | 19,892 | | 7,691 | | |
| Akoko North-West | 13,048 | | 6,049 | | |
| Okitipupa | 14,930 | | 8,031 | | |
| Owo | 32,988 | | 4,241 | | |
| Odigbo | 17,581 | | 8,668 | | |
| Idanre | 10,981 | | 7,575 | | |
| Akure South | 25,797 | | 25,005 | | |
| Ese Odo | 10,700 | | 8,071 | | |
| Ilaje | 7,030 | | 5,007 | | |
| Totals | 224,842 | | 150,380 | | 551,272 |