President Bola Tinubu has urged Ademola Adeleke, governor of
Osun, to see his victory in Saturday’s governorship election as an opportunity
to promote unity and stability in the state.
Tinubu spoke on Thursday during Adeleke’s thank-you visit to
the State House, where he presented his certificate of return to the president.
The president told Adeleke not to see his electoral victory
as a tool to witch-hunt his political opponents.
Adeleke defeated 14 other candidates in the keenly contested
election, including Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and
Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Adeleke polled 511,067 votes, while Oyebamiji placed second
with 444,815 votes. Salaam came a distant third with 17,180 votes.
Adeleke won in 19 LGAs, while Oyebamiji was victorious in 11
LGAs.
The governor thanked Tinubu for allowing what he described
as a “free and fair election” to hold in the state.
Tinubu said the governor had a historic opportunity to
demonstrate the virtues of democracy by reaching out to those who opposed him
and avoiding any form of victimisation.
The president said Adeleke’s victory was not a conquest over
his opponents but a mandate entrusted to him by the people, noting that the
majority responsibility before the governor now is to govern for the benefit of
all residents of the state.
“You did not conquer anybody. You won the election. That is
the essence of democracy,” Tinubu said.
He urged the governor to make reconciliation the cornerstone
of his administration, saying the best way to appreciate the confidence reposed
in him by the electorate was through his actions in office.
“All for the reconciliation, expand your coast. That is the
only way you can give thanks to our people. Not the way you sang it or
celebrated it. It’s the way you act it,” the president said.
‘GOD PUT YOU WHERE YOU’RE TODAY’
Tinubu also reminded Adeleke that political office was
ultimately determined by the will of God and the people, urging him to use his
position to make history by strengthening peace and democratic stability.
“Where you are today, God put you there. Not the smartness
of any of these people,” Tinubu said.
“It’s just their support, not their smartness. It is the
wish of God that prevailed and the wish of the people for you.”
The president said the governor is now in a “very, very
unique position” to promote unity, peace and stability in Osun.
Tinubu commended Adeleke and his political team for what he
described as “effective mobilisation” during the election, saying their
performance reflected “progressive instinct”.
The president, however, cautioned the governor against using
his victory to stigmatise or target political opponents.
“You saw fear; you screamed. Promote democracy. Promote
stability. Promote rule of law. Don’t stigmatise any of your opponents,” Tinubu
said.
He said democracy could only thrive when political actors
accept electoral outcomes and respect the rights of those on the opposing side.
“Anybody, any democrat, anybody in the political environment
who cannot celebrate the joy of a free and fair election does not deserve the
laughter and the happiness of democracy,” he said.
Tinubu further advised Adeleke not to make any individual a
victim of his campaign, stressing that the governor’s responsibility extends
beyond his political interests to future generations.
“Don’t make a single individual a victim of your campaign.
Don’t. Not for you alone. Not for the sake of us all alone. For the generations
to come,” he said.
The president said Adeleke should rather focus on delivering
good governance to the people of Osun, noting that the electorate had
demonstrated their confidence in him.
“The people of Osun state pronounce their judgement on you:
that they love you. They want you to govern. So, you’re going back to govern,”
Tinubu said.
He urged the governor to seize the opportunity provided by
his electoral victory to build bridges across political divides and strengthen
democratic institutions.
BACKGROUND
The development follows the president’s congratulatory
message to the governor on Sunday, in which he described his re-election as a
“fitting assurance” that democracy will continue to flourish under his
administration.
However, the APC has rejected the outcome of the
election. Oluwole Oke, director-general
of the APC governorship campaign committee in the Osun election, said the party
would not hurriedly congratulate Adeleke on his re-election.
According to him, the APC still believes that the Accord
candidate did not score the highest number of valid votes in the August 15
election.
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