Former Governor of Anambra State and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has congratulated Osun State Governor-elect, Senator Ademola Adeleke, following his victory on Sunday, July 16, in the governorship election.
Independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (INEC) declared Adeleke of the Accord Party the winner after polling 403,371 votes to defeat incumbent Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of the APC, who got 375,027 votes.
In a statement on Twitter, Obi extended “warmest personal congratulations to Sen. Ademola Adeleke on winning the Osun State Gubernatorial elections”.
He said that the victory reaffirmed that the power to choose leaders belongs to the people, adding: “The victory is a demonstration of the power of the people” all across Nigeria.
He also said that Adeleke’s renewed mandate reflected his commitment to the people, compassion for their needs, and the strength of his work and remarkable achievements in office during his tenure.
The NDC presidential candidate particularly commended the youths of Osun for what he described as the courageous and peaceful defence of their democratic mandate during the highly contested weekend governorship polls.
According to him, their vigilance and determination beautifully demonstrated that when citizens stand firmly to protect their votes, the forces of good can overcome the forces of darkness in any election.
Obi said that the lesson from Osun was that democracy is strongest when citizens are fully alert, conscious of their civic responsibilities and determined to ensure that their votes count always.
He strongly emphasised that every genuine vote must be respected and every lawful mandate protected to ensure that the sacred will of the people was never undermined by any anti-democratic force.
Looking forward directly ahead to the 2027 General Elections, Obi called on Nigerians to remain informed, participate actively, vote and most importantly, protect their votes across every single polling unit nationwide.
He said that Nigerians were the ones experiencing hunger, deprivation, insecurity and hardship and therefore firmly possessed the power, through their votes, to bring about the change needed to address challenges.
