Why Adeleke won again in Osun

By Dayo Johnson OSOGBO — FOR the second time in four years, the All Progressives Congress, APC, yesterday, lost a governorship election in Osun State.  Read Also: Adeleke’s camp to Keyamo: ‘There is no agreement’ with Tinubu Its candidate, Asiwaju Bola Oyebamiji polled 444,815 votes, which was 66,252 votes less than the 511,067 garnered by Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, who won his re-election in style, according official results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, yesterday morning. The victory makes Adeleke twice lucky in three attempts and the second person to be re-elected in the state after Engr Rauf Aregbesola. Adeleke, who in 2022 ran on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, beat then incumbent APC Governor, Gboyega Oyetola. He polled 403,371 votes and won 17 councils compared to Oyetola’s 375,027 votes and 13 councils. Oyetola had earlier in 2018 beaten Adeleke in a very tight race after a supplementary poll. He scored 255,505 votes while Adeleke got 255,023 votes. The tightness of the 2018 race prepared the grounds for the 2022 exercise and impacted yesterday’s poll in which Oyetola and his camp fought against Adeleke’s reported defection to the APC and threw their weight behind Oyebamiji. Indeed, Oyebamiji’s 444,815 votes are the highest scored by any APC candidate in Osun but they were too few to stop Adeleke, who emerged tops in an election that arguably recorded the highest voters’ turnout in Nigeria in recent times. No fewer than 52 per cent of the 1.9 million voters who collected their permanent voters cards, PVCs, took part in the balloting. A galaxy of factors paved the way for APC’s loss and Accord party’s victory, which threw indigenes of Osun into jubilation, last night. The factors include division in the APC; Governor Adeleke’s regular payment of salaries, which the APC governments of Aregbesola and Oyetola had problems in paying; support of former deputy governor of the state, Senator Iyiola Omisore in Ife axis; support of music star, David Adeleke (Davido); security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, who delivered on their duties. The electoral commission uploaded results on its portal promptly. An excited Governor Adeleke, while reacting to his victory, urged other contestants to accept the outcome of the election, saying there should be “no victor, no vanquished” in the contest. Following the outcome of the election, the APC said it will study the results before taking its next line of action. How Adeleke won While Adeleke scored 511,067 votes, Oyebamiji polled 444,815 votes, while Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, scored 17,180 votes. The governor secured his victory by sweeping 19 out of the 30 Local Government Areas in the state, while Oyebamiji captured 11 council areas. The incumbent governor recorded massive numbers in Osogbo (36,480 votes), Ede North (35,427 votes), and Ede South (26,188 votes). He also floored Oyebamiji in competitive zones like Iwo LGA and won the polling unit of former Deputy Governor, Senator Iyiola Omisore, who had ‘backed’ the APC candidate but secretly worked for Adeleke. The APC candidate, however, performed strongest in councils such as Irewole (29,972 votes), Olorunda (24,671 votes), and Ilesa East (16,208 votes). He also managed victories at the polling unit of APC founding interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande. How division within APC gave way to Accord victory Despite its structure and popularity in the state, the APC lost the contest due to in-fighting. In addition, the party did not properly integrate the current National Secretary, Dr Ajibola Basiru and his Alubarika group into the main fold of the party. The Ileri-Oluwa group dominated the entire structure at the expense of every other group. The National Secretary operated from his Alubarika group office, while others patronised the Ileri-Oluwa House, just as another group rallied round the party Chairman, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal at the party secretariat. The division that permeated the party in the build up to the governorship primary, remained with it till the election last Saturday. Jubilation in Adeleke’s hometown The streets of Ede North and Ede South LGAs of the state erupted into jubilation as residents commended INEC for conducting a credible and peaceful governorship election. The residents said the electoral process was generally orderly and transparent in spite of some political violence recorded. Ede environs witnessed people dancing and jubilating after the electoral umpire declared Governor Adeleke, who hails from the area, as winner. No victor, no vanquished — Adeleke Speaking after his victory, Governor Adeleke dedicated it to the people of Osun State, describing i

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