The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in Saturday’s Osun governorship election, Bola Oyebamiji, has said the party had hoped for a different outcome but respects the position of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Oyebamiji stated this in a statement issued on Tuesday in Osogbo, while expressing support for the APC’s decision to review the outcome of the election.
“Although we had hoped for a different outcome in the election, in the meantime, we respect the position of the electoral umpire and I totally support the decision of our party in its ongoing review,” he said.
The APC candidate thanked voters who supported his candidacy, as well as party leaders, members, volunteers and other supporters who contributed to the campaign.
He said the campaign might have ended, but the values and causes it promoted remained relevant, urging his supporters to continue contributing to the development of Osun State.
“The campaign has come to an end and the election is over, but the values and causes we championed are alive,” he said.
Oyebamiji also raised concerns over what he described as increasing hostility and violence against APC members and supporters following the election.
He called on the Osun State Government, the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to intervene and prevent further escalation.
“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.
He expressed appreciation to APC members, leaders, volunteers and supporters for their commitment and sacrifice during the campaign, saying he remained proud of the campaign they ran.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that INEC declared Governor Ademola Adeleke the winner of the election in the early hours of Sunday.
Adeleke polled 511,067 votes to defeat Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, came third with 17,180 votes.
INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, said 985,079 valid votes were recorded, while 20,721 votes were rejected, bringing the total number of votes cast to 1,005,800.
