Osun Election: Oyebamiji Breaks Silence on Poll Outcome

The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Osun State, Bola Oyebamiji, has broken his silence on the outcome of Saturday’s governorship election.

Oyebamiji, who came second with 444,815 votes, congratulated those who supported his campaign while calling for calm among his supporters following the declaration of incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party as the winner.

Adeleke polled 511,067 votes to defeat Oyebamiji, while the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished third with 17,180 votes.

Reacting to the development, Oyebamiji said he respected the electoral process and supported the APC’s ongoing review of the election result.

“I totally support the decision of our party in its ongoing review of the outcome of the election,” he said.

The former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) also thanked APC members, supporters and Osun residents for their commitment and support throughout the campaign.

He urged his supporters to remain calm and peaceful as they go about their activities in the post-election period.

Oyebamiji, however, expressed concern over what he described as increasing hostility towards APC members and his supporters.

“The violent attacks on our members witnessed in the build-up to the election have taken another dimension in the last 24 hours,” he said in a post on his X account on Tuesday.

He called on the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to intervene and put an end to the alleged attacks.

Despite the election result, Oyebamiji said the issues and values his campaign promoted remained relevant.

“We will continue to work for effective, inclusive, and rapid development of our dear Osun,” he said.

He urged APC members and supporters to remain engaged, organised and vigilant for the collective interest of the state.

The August 15 election was contested by 15 political parties across the 30 local government areas of Osun State.

According to the Returning Officer, Joshua Ogunwole, 1,005,800 votes were cast, while 985,079 were declared valid. A total of 1,010,684 voters were accredited for the election.

With his victory, Adeleke, who first became governor in 2022, will serve another four-year term as the governor of Osun State.