The long expected quiet revolution to take back Nigeria may be here after all as the just concluded Osun State off-season governorship election indicates. The election in which Senator Ademola Adeleke of the PDP defeated the incumbent Governor Oyetola of the rulling APC has shown that the will of the people may no longer be suppressed by a handful of those elected to hold power in trust for the masses.
Nigeria under President Buhari’s All Progressive Congress, APC, have degenerated into a precipice of corruption, insecurity, bad governance and what have you, all of which have brought untold hardship upon the people.
As Nigeria approaches another election year and having gone through Party primaries that produced various candidates for the 2023 elections. The rulling APC like other political parties, now have a presidential flag bearer in the person of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu. It was expected that Tinubu, a colossus in Nigeria’s political space more especially in the South West, and his APC would have swept clean the Osun governorship election since the incumbent Governor, Oyetola belong to the party. But this was not the case as the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, candidate, Senator Adeleke floored the APC at the polls, and now declared governor elect of the state. This is the result of the people’s genuine desire for positive change, rejection of APC and of course a warning sign to Bola Tinubu who was pelted with pebbles and stones during the election in Osun Saturday.
A new wave of consciousness particularly among the youths has arisen in the country and this is sweeping across the States, an indication that 2023 will introduce a sweeping change in political leadership.
Adeleke declared winner of Osun Governorship Election
The Independent National Electoral Commission has declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Ademola Adeleke, winner of the Osun governorship election.
Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, the Returning Officer for the election and Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, declared that Senator Ademola Adeleke polled a total of 403,371 votes to thrash the incumbent, Adegboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress, who got 375,027 votes in the keenly contested race.
Ogundipe stated, “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.”
According to the electoral umpire, the PDP won 17 out of the 30 Local Government Areas of the state, while the APC won the remaining 13.
The 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.
The APC, on the other hand, won in Boripe, Ilesa East, Ayedire, Ifedayo, Ife Central, Ayedaade, Iwo, Olaoluwa, Isokan, Atakumosa East, Irewole, Ife South, and Ife East LGAs.
The governoship election which many saw as a straight fight between Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of APC and Senator Adeleke of PDP, was contested by no fewer than 15 political parties.
Other candidates 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. 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 also participated in the election.
Osun has 30 Local Government Areas and 3,763 polling units where the election held. It was largely peaceful and there was impressive Voter turnout.
Out of the 1,955,657 registered voters in the state, 1,479,595 Permanent Voter Cards were collected before the election.
The poll which was characterised by intensive vote-buying, was condemned by some candidates including civil the CSOs.
It is believed that with Peter Obi’s entrant into the 2023 presidential race and the massive support he is enjoying from the youths, the dynamics will change as votes are expected to count. GMTNews
