By Isa Isawade
Jubilations erupted in many major towns of Osun State, most notably, Ile-Ife, Osogbo and Ede in less than one hour of declaration of Gov. Ademola Adeleke as winner of Saturday’s governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
INEC Returning Officer for the Osun governorship election, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, on Sunday morning declared Adeleke of Accord party winner after polling 511,067 votes to defeat his closest rival, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 444,815 votes.
Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Najeem Salaam, came a distant third with 17,180 votes.
Valid votes cast were 985,079, while 20,721 votes were rejected, bringing the total number of votes cast to 1,005,800. Adeleke won in 19 local government areas, while Oyebamiji recorded victory in 11 LGAs.
Jubilant residents of Ile-Ife celebrated the governor’s victory and expressed satisfaction over the peaceful conduct of election.
Osun Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Olusesan Oyedele, thanked God for the peaceful conduct of the election, without killings or destruction of property anywhere in state.
Oyedele described the election as free, fair and credible, commending INEC officials for conducting the exercise without bias and ensuring a transparent electoral process across Osun.
He also commended the electorate for their orderliness and urged them to remain law-abiding, saying peaceful participation was essential to sustaining democracy and development across the state.
Also, Mrs Busayo Arayela, an Accord Party leader, acknowledged God’s grace for allowing peace to prevail in Osun before and during the election, expressing hope it continued.
Arayela said party members and leaders were enthusiastic about the peaceful manner the electorate conducted themselves throughout the electoral exercise, describing the development as encouraging for democracy.
Arayela appealed to residents and stakeholders to maintain peace across the state after declaration of the result, urging everyone to accept the outcome responsibly and peacefully thereafter.
She also admonished Adeleke to sustain his developmental programmes across Osun, urging him not to disappoint residents but ensure delivery of democratic dividends to communities across state.
The sate’s capital, Osogbo and the governor’s hometown of Ede also witnessed wild jubilation immediately the final results were announced and Adeleke declared winner by INEC.
Supporters and residents of the towns trooped out in large numbers to celebrate the victory.
Adeleke’s supporters who had gathered at the INEC office in Osogbo as early as 5.00a.m., danced at the commission’s main entrance shortly after the declaration.
Many of the supporters and residents were seen riding motorcycles and driving around the town, singing victory songs and celebrating the outcome of the election.
