The spokesperson for the Imole Campaign Council, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has commended President Bola Tinubu for what he described as his commitment to ensuring a free, fair and credible governorship election in Osun State.
Olajengbesi spoke on Sunday after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Governor Ademola Adeleke the winner of the August 15 governorship election in the state.
He said Tinubu had personally called Adeleke to congratulate him on his victory before INEC formally announced the result.
According to Olajengbesi, the president’s decision to allow the electorate to determine the outcome of the election demonstrated his commitment to democratic principles.
“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.
He added that Tinubu congratulated Adeleke before the official declaration, describing the gesture as evidence that politics should not be treated as a do-or-die affair.
“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 election followed weeks of heightened political tension, with the ruling Accord party and the All Progressives Congress (APC) trading accusations over political violence, security and the credibility of the electoral process.
Adeleke had, in the weeks preceding the election, appealed to Tinubu to intervene over alleged killings and political repression in the state.
The APC rejected the allegations and accused the governor of attempting to blame the president for his political challenges.
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 campaign council later backed Tinubu’s directive to the police and other security agencies to remain professional and neutral during the election.
Against that background, Olajengbesi said the outcome of the election vindicated the council’s position that the electorate should be allowed to freely choose its preferred candidate.
He described Adeleke’s victory as a reflection of the wishes of Osun voters, while praising the governor’s performance during his first term.
“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.
Olajengbesi further alleged that the governor overcame intimidation, harassment and what he described as the reckless use of power by some institutions to secure re-election.
The State Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, declared Adeleke the winner at about 7:24am on Sunday.
Adeleke, the Accord party candidate, secured 511,067 votes to defeat his closest challenger, APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes.
The governor won in 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji secured victory in 11.
The African Democratic Congress candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished third.
The result secured Adeleke a second term in office after he left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the platform on which he won the 2022 election, to contest the 2026 poll on the Accord platform.
Olajengbesi also said Adeleke had instructed his supporters not to engage in vote-buying during the election, while commending Osun voters for supporting the governor despite what he described as pressure on them to abandon his candidacy.
However, allegations of vote-buying and other electoral infractions have emerged following the election.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has consequently 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, misuse of public resources and other electoral offences linked to the poll.
