By Ayomide Otitoju
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has said his closest challenger in the just-concluded governorship election, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), should be the one to call and congratulate him following his victory.
Adeleke made the statement during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him the winner.
Asked if he would contact Oyebamiji, Adeleke said the responsibility should rest with his opponent to initiate the call.
“I am not the one that is supposed to reach out to him now because I am the one that won the election and I have been announced. If he wants to be civilised, he is the one that is supposed to call me and say congratulations,” Adeleke said.
Despite his position, the governor invited Oyebamiji to work with his administration and offer ideas that could contribute to the development of Osun State.
“If you have any ideas, talk to me, and I will put it on the table. If the idea is good, I will want to utilise it; one thing is Osun State first,” he said.
Adeleke also pledged to address political divisions that emerged during the election campaign, announcing plans to establish a reconciliation committee to promote unity and involve opposition figures in the development of the state.
“I will look for a reconciliation committee to unite Osun people. I will invite even our opponents; if you have any idea, bring it to the table so that we could join hands together and make Osun great,” he said.
INEC Returning Officer, Joshua Ogunwole, declared Adeleke the winner at the commission’s collation centre in Osogbo in the early hours of Sunday.
Adeleke secured 511,067 votes to defeat Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes. The ADC candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished third with 17,180 votes.
The governor won 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji won 11.
The result secured Adeleke another four-year term after he was first elected governor in 2022 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
His re-election followed months of intense campaigning and political tension across the state, with 15 political parties participating in the election.
As of the time of filing this report, Oyebamiji had yet to congratulate Adeleke.
The Osun APC said it was reviewing the results from the 332 wards across the state before deciding on its next course of action.
The party maintained that the election could not be considered concluded without exploring all constitutionally permitted legal options under the Electoral Act 2026, as amended.
