Pressure Mounts On Oyebamiji To Congratulate Adeleke

Pressure is mounting on the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in last Saturday’s Osun State governorship election, Bola Oyebamiji, to congratulate the winner of the poll, Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party.

The development followed a series of calls from prominent APC leaders urging the former commissioner to accept the outcome of the election and extend a hand of fellowship to Adeleke.

President Bola Tinubu, who is also the national leader of the APC, had earlier congratulated Adeleke in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

Adeleke also disclosed that Tinubu had called him on the telephone at about 2am on Sunday to congratulate him, hours before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) formally announced the result.

Other prominent APC figures who have congratulated Adeleke include the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, who urged the governor to honour an alleged agreement to support Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

Adeleke, however, dismissed the claim on Tuesday, saying he had no agreement with the President to support his re-election. He explained that his decision to support Tinubu was based on their shared Yoruba identity.

Similarly, Ekiti State Governor and APC chieftain, Abiodun Oyebanji, congratulated Adeleke, describing his victory as a triumph for democracy.

The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has also joined the growing calls for Oyebamiji to accept the result and congratulate the governor.

Bamidele, in a statement issued in Abuja, said the people of Osun had spoken through the ballot and that all contestants were duty-bound to accept and respect the decision of the majority.

“In democracy, globally, the decision of the majority is not only legitimate and supreme, but also remains the final choice that will define public governance within the timeframe that the constitution prescribes for a government,” he said.

According to him, Adeleke’s victory also places a responsibility on the governor to promote peace, stability and inclusive governance in the state.

Bamidele, who leads APC lawmakers in the Senate, said Oyebamiji and other candidates must recognise that democracy could only thrive when political actors accept the outcome of credible elections.

He said elements of fairness and credibility were evident in the Osun election, “especially with the defeat of the candidate of the country’s governing party.”

“The election has now been concluded; all other candidates should sheathe their swords and join forces with the elected candidate to drive an all-inclusive governance that will redefine the future of the state,” he said.

Bamidele specifically appealed to Oyebamiji to reach out to Adeleke, saying, “On this premise, I strongly encourage the candidate of our great party, Mr. Bola Oyebamiji, to contact Governor Adeleke, congratulate him on his re-election and constructively share with him innovative policy ideas that can help him serve the interests of our people much better.”

Adeleke polled 511,067 votes to defeat Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes, while the ADC candidate, Najeem Salaam, came third with 17,180 votes.