Adeleke, Middle; flanked by his his nephew, the global award-winning music superstar Davido, 2nd left; PDP chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, left; and others
Candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has been declared winner of Saturday’s Governorship Election in Osun State.
According to the result declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), he defeated the incumbent governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), at the polls, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, who was the closest runner up, and 13 other candidates fielded in the election.
Specifically, Adeleke won 17 of the state’s 30 Local Government Areas (LGAs), while Oyetola won in the remaining 13 LGAs, according to results announced by INEC on Sunday morning in Osogbo, the state capital, where the results were also collated.
Altogether, the PDP candidate scored 403,371 votes while Oyetola of the APC trailed closely behind him with 375,027 votes.
While declaring the result, the Returning Officer for the election and Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, said that Adeleke got a total of 403,371 votes beating the incumbent, Adegboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress, who got 375,027 votes in a keenly contested race.
His words: “I declare Adeleke Ademola Jackson Nurudeen, on behalf of the chairman of INEC, of the PDP, having satisfied the requirement of the law, is hereby declared the winner and he is returned elected.”
Opposition 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.
On the other hand, the ruling party, the APC won in Boripe, Ilesa East, Ayedire, Ifedayo, Ife Central, Ayedaade, Iwo, Olaoluwa, Isokan, Atakumosa East, Irewole, Ife South, and Ife East LGAs.
Adeleke and his nephew, the music superstar, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, were seen in a video that surfaced online, celebrating an early lead when the counting started.
Also, in the Situation Room of the PDP, there was also wild jubilation as the PDP claimed it was winning the election even before the final results were announced.
It was generally believed that the election was manly between Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and Senator Adeleke, 13 other candidates fielded by opposition political parties participated in the election.
They included Akin Ogunbiyi of Accord Party; Lasun Yusuff of Labour Party; Oyegoke Omigbodun of Social Democratic Party; Segun Awojide of African Action Congress; Kehinde Atanda of Action Democratic Party; Awoyemi Lukuman of Allied Peoples Movement; Adebayo Elisha of All Peoples Party; and Adeleke Adedapo of Boot Party.
Others were Rasaq Saliu of New Nigeria Peoples Party; Abede Samuel of National Rescue Movement; Ayowole Adedeji of Peoples Redemption Party; Ademola Adeseye of Young Peoples Party; and Adesuyi Olufemi of Zenith Labour Party.
The election which held across 3,763 units in the 30 LGAs of the state, witnessed a huge voter turnout and was largely peaceful.
Of the 1,955,657 registered voters in the state, 1,479,595 Permanent Voter Cards were collected before the election.
To keep the peace in the state, the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba Alkali, had deployed about 21,000 police operatives, apart from other security outfits also present which included the military and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
The poll was, however, characterised by massive vote-buying, which drew the condemnation of some candidates and civil society organisations.
Adeleke, a former senator and younger brother of the state’s first civilian governor, the late Senator Isiaka Adeleke, defeated Oyetola, by a margin of about 44,426 votes.
Besides, 13 other candidates took part in the election. They included a former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Lasun Yusuf, who contested under the platform of Labour Party; Akin Ogunbiyi of the Accord Party; and Goke Omigbodun of the Social Democratic Party.
PDP Caretaker Chairman in the state, Dr. Akindele Adekunle, before the announcement, had declared that the party has secured a majority as well as more than two third spread across the 30 local governments and area offices.
The party in a statement noted that the victory of the party at the poll is a product of mass mobilisation and grand coalition of people of Osun state against bad governance and insensitive leadership.
While thanking the people of Osun state for endorsing and affirming Ademola Adeleke’s governorship bid, the party sternly warns against any attempt to tamper with the result of the election.
Following are the election results by local governments:
Boluwaduro LGA
APC – 5,649
PDP – 5,860
LP -9
Ilesa East LGA
APC – 13,452
PDP – 10,969
LP – 33
Osogbo LGA
APC – 22,952
PDP – 30,401
LP – 79
Ila LGA
APC – 11,163
PDP – 13,036
LP – 6
Atakumosa West LGA
APC – 6,601
PDP – 7,750
LP – 6
Ifelodun LGA
APC – 16,068
PDP – 17,107
LP – 18
Ilesa West LGA
APC – 10,777
PDP – 13,769
LP – 106
Ayedire LGA
APC – 7,868
PDP – 7,402
LP – 7
Odo Otin LGA
APC – 13,482
PDP – 14,003
LP – 170
Boripe LGA
APC – 21,205
PDP – 7,595
LP – 4
Obokun LGA
APC – 9,727
PDP – 14,575
LP – 11
Orolu LGA
APC – 9,928
PDP – 10,282
LP – 32
Olorunda LGA
APC – 18,709
PDP – 21,350
LP – 63
Ife North LGA
APC – 9,964PDP – 10,359
Ifedayo LGA
APC – 5,016
PDP – 4,730
A -55
Ife Central LGA
APC – 17,880
PDP – 13,532
A – 202
Irepodun LGA
APC – 12,122
PDP – 14,389
A – 63
Oriade LGA
APC – 14,189
PDP – 15,940
A – 60
Ayedade LGA
APC – 14,527
PDP – 13,380
A – 229
Ola Oluwa LGA
APC – 9,123
LP – 12
PDP – 7,205
Iwo LGA
APC – 17,421
PDP – 16,914
A – 214
Isokan LGA
APC – 10,833
PDP – 10,777
A – 23
Irewole LGA
APC – 18,198
PDP – 14,216
A – 31
Ejigbo LGA
APC – 14,355
PDP – 18,065
A – 67
Ede North LGA
APC – 9,603
PDP – 23,931
A – 61
Egbedore LGA
APC – 9,228
PDP – 13,230
A – 105
Atakunmosa East LGA
APC – 7,449
LP – 23
PDP – 6,992
Ife South LGA
APC- 12,481
PDP- 9,116
A-36
Ife East LGA
APC- 19,353
PDP- 18,071
A- 305.
