Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has reaffirmed his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, describing the President as a “son of Osun State.”
Adeleke spoke on Sunday at a press conference shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him winner of the August 15 governorship election.
The governor praised Tinubu for what he described as the President’s role in ensuring a free and fair electoral process in the state.
“I must deeply appreciate Mr. President, His Excellency Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his strong support for a free and fair election.
“Mr. President is a son of Osun State, and I hereby reaffirm my earlier endorsement of him for a second term in the 2027 presidential election,” Adeleke said.
The endorsement comes despite Adeleke’s previous membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He contested the 2026 governorship election on the platform of the Accord Party.
INEC declared Adeleke winner at about 7:24 a.m. on Sunday after he polled 511,067 votes, defeating his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 444,815 votes.
The Accord candidate won 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji secured 11. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished third with 17,180 votes.
The victory gives Adeleke a second term after his 2022 election as governor on the PDP platform.
Reacting to his victory, Adeleke also disclosed that Tinubu had called to congratulate him and appealed to Oyebamiji to follow suit.
“This is no victor, no vanquished. I want them to come over. I am expecting Oyebamiji, as a civilised person, to call me and congratulate me,” he said.
Adeleke further thanked Tinubu for his congratulatory call, saying the President had demonstrated commitment to the survival of democracy.
“I thank you, Mr. President, for making sure democracy lives on, because you fought for it,” he added.
Source – The Watch Newspaper
(vitalnewsngr.com)
