Adeleke’s Campaign Spokesperson Commends Tinubu Over Osun Election

The spokesperson for the Imole Campaign Council, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has commended President Bola Tinubu for what he described as his commitment to a free and fair governorship election in Osun State, disclosing that the President congratulated Governor Ademola Adeleke before the official declaration of the result.

Olajengbesi spoke on Sunday shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Adeleke winner of the August 15 governorship election in Osun State.

The State Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, declared the result at about 7:24 a.m. at the commission’s headquarters in Osogbo.

Adeleke, who contested on the Accord Party platform, polled 511,067 votes to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who secured 444,815 votes.

The governor won in 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji won 11. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished third.

Reacting to the outcome, Olajengbesi praised Tinubu for his position on the conduct of the election, particularly his directive to relevant authorities to ensure that the poll was credible.

“We are also appreciative of Mr President because, at the commencement of this election, Mr President announced to the world and informed the Independent National Electoral Commission that the poll should be credible, and we agree that the election was credible, free and fair,” he said.

The campaign spokesman also disclosed that Tinubu had called Adeleke to congratulate him on his victory before INEC formally announced the result.

“Even before the election results were announced, Mr President called Governor Adeleke and congratulated him. Politics should not be a do-or-die affair, and that is what Governor Adeleke stands for. Throughout this campaign, he has been more interested in the people,” Olajengbesi said.

The commendation came against the backdrop of a tense campaign in the build-up to the election, with Adeleke and the APC trading allegations over political violence, security and the conduct of the poll.

Adeleke had, in the weeks preceding the election, appealed to Tinubu to intervene over alleged killings and what he described as political repression in the state.

The APC, however, rejected the allegations and accused the governor of attempting to blame the President for his political difficulties.

The Imole Campaign Council had also petitioned the British High Commission and the Inspector-General of Police over alleged security concerns, urging authorities to ensure that the election was free, fair and credible.

The council later backed Tinubu’s directive to the police and other security agencies to maintain professionalism and neutrality during the election, describing the intervention as necessary to protect voters and the integrity of the process.

Olajengbesi said the election had ultimately demonstrated the determination of Osun voters to choose their preferred candidate.

“I am super excited. This is the manifestation of God and the will of the people of Osun State. This election has clearly shown that Governor Ademola Adeleke is the man of the people, and it shows that Mr Governor has performed excellently,” he said.

He described the result as a renewed mandate for Adeleke, alleging that the governor and his supporters had faced intimidation and harassment during the election period.

“Despite all the intimidation, harassment and reckless use of power by all institutions, Mr Governor emerged victorious,” he added.

The campaign spokesman also said Adeleke had directed his supporters before the election not to engage in vote-buying, while commending the electorate for standing by the governor.

The victory marks Adeleke’s return for a second term after he left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), under whose platform he won the 2022 election, to contest the latest poll on the Accord Party ticket.

However, allegations of vote-buying and other electoral offences have emerged following the election.

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on INEC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to jointly investigate reported cases of vote-buying, financial inducement, illegal election financing, voter intimidation, violence and other alleged electoral violations linked to the poll.

The allegations are expected to form part of the wider assessment of the election as political parties and other stakeholders review the outcome.

For the Adeleke campaign, however, the immediate focus remained on the governor’s victory and what it described as the electorate’s decision to renew his mandate, while Olajengbesi’s remarks placed the President’s role in the conduct of the election at the centre of the campaign council’s post-election reaction.