It’s now officially as the Independent National Electoral Commission has declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ademola Adeleke, the winner of the Osun governorship election.
The Returning Officer for the election and Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, announced that Adeleke got a total of 403,371 votes, defeating the incumbent, Adegboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress, who got 375,027 votes in the election.
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According to INEC, the PDP won 17 of the 30 Local Government Areas of the state, while the APC won the remaining 13.
The PDP won in Ede North, Ede South, Ifelodun, Boluwaduro, Egbedore, Odo Otin, Osogbo, Ila, Atakumosa West, Olorunda, Ilesa West, Obokun, Oriade, Orolu, Ife North, Irepodun, and Ejigbo LGAs.
The APC won in Boripe, Ilesa East, Ayedire, Ifedayo, Ife Central, Ayedaade, Iwo, Olaoluwa, Isokan, Atakumosa East, Ife South, Ife Central, and Ife East LGAs.
Here are the winners of the keenly contested race:
IYIORICHA AYU
This is a major victory for Nigeria’s main opposition party as it is the first of such since Iyorchia Ayu’s emergence as the PDP National Chairman in October, 2021. Ayu had expressed confidence that the party would win the governorship election in Osun State, and it turned out that way.
The party chairman told Osun residents that the overwhelming support of the party and its candidate, was an indicator of the outcome of the election.
The PDP Chairman also expressed confidence that the ongoing consultations and reconciliation efforts would ensure the success of the party in the 2023 general elections.
ATIKU ABUBAKAR
The PDP presidential candidate of the PDP is another ‘big winner’ and beneficiary of the party’s victory in the Osun poll, as it’s a pointer to the 2023 election. With the victory, it’s now four to two between APC and PDP in South West states. Hitherto, PDP controlled only Oyo out of the six states in the region, but the latest victory has earned the opposition party another state.
Atiku was in Osun to campaign for Adeleke about 48 hours to the poll unlike what played out during Ekiti election when the party big wigs failed to identify with PDP’s Bisi Kolawole, who came a distant third in the election.
Atiku, whose wife, Titi, is from Osun, told residents at the rally to protect their votes. Atiku said, “Now I have come to Osun to particularly ask you not to allow the APC to steal your victory as they did in the last election. On my way to this place, the governor who stole your mandate was driving in the opposite direction, there was nobody who was cheering him.
“He was holding his broom like this, he was walking alone. This state is a PDP state, I have come to appeal to you to make sure you vote and protect your votes, don’t allow any vote rigging in Osun State because you will come back into darkness if you allow them to rig the election again. They have been rigging the Osun election since.”
DAVIDO
The award-winning hip-hop artiste, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, is a typical example of the saying that ‘blood is thicker than water.’
Like he did in 2018, the singer went all out to campaign for Adeleke, his uncle, both on the streets of Osun and social media. And while voting and sorting of ballots lasted, Davido was on social media, instructing Osun voters to protect their votes. He believed that his uncle’s mandate was stolen four years ago, but such must not repeat itself.
Shortly before INEC’s announcement, in a video clip which had gone viral on social media, Davido, and his uncle, were seen shedding tears as they joined other PDP leaders in the celebration mood.
“We did it this time,” Adeleke said, to which Davido responded “yes.”
AREGBESOLA
The Minister of Interior and former Osun State Governor remains an APC leader in state, but he clearly did not want Oyetola, his successor and former aide, re-elected. This was due to the rivalry between the political leaders.
Apart from a suit filed against Oyetola’s candidacy ahead of the election, some staunch supporters of the former Governor, like Kolapo Alimi, decamped from APC and joined PDP. There were strong indications that his supporters within APC might have worked against the party in the just concluded election.
Aregbesola himself boycotted Saturday’s poll as he reportedly left the country few hours to the election.
Few minutes after Adeleke was declared winner, Aregbesola dropped a cryptic message on his Facebook page, suggesting the former governor’s satisfaction with the outcome of the poll.
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