President Bola Tinubu has personally called Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, to congratulate him on his victory in the August 15 governorship election, with the governor publicly thanking the President for what he described as his role in allowing democracy to prevail.
TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Adeleke disclosed the telephone call while speaking shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him the winner of the keenly contested election on Sunday.
The governor, who secured a second term on the platform of the Accord Party, said Tinubu had reached out to congratulate him following the outcome of the poll.
“And of course I want to seize the opportunity to thank Mr. President. Mr. President has called me and he has congratulated me,” Adeleke said.
He added: “Thank you, Mr. President for making sure democracy lives on because we fought for it.”
The disclosure came shortly after Accord Party chieftain Pelumi Olajengbesi also told journalists at the INEC collation centre in Osogbo that Tinubu had personally called Adeleke to congratulate him.
Adeleke wins second term
INEC declared Adeleke the winner of the election after he polled 511,067 votes, defeating his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 444,815 votes.
The margin of victory was 66,252 votes.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished a distant third with 17,180 votes. Adeleke won 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji won 11.
The Returning Officer, Professor Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole, declared Adeleke the winner at the state collation centre in Osogbo after results from all 30 local government areas had been collated.
The result secured Adeleke another four years in office and extended his tenure beyond his first term, which began in 2022.
“No victor, no vanquished
In his post-election remarks, Adeleke adopted a conciliatory tone and appealed to his opponents to accept the result and join hands in moving Osun State forward.
“Yes, there is no victor, no vanquished,” the governor declared.
He specifically called on Oyebamiji to congratulate him, saying he expected the APC candidate to demonstrate what he described as civility following the election.
“I want them to come over and I’m expecting Oyebamiji to even as a civilised person to call me and congratulate me and congratulate me,” Adeleke said.
The governor’s appeal came against the backdrop of a fiercely contested campaign between the Accord and APC candidates, with both camps mobilising significant political support across the state.
Adeleke’s victory has now placed the responsibility on his administration to consolidate on its first-term record and fulfil the promises made during the campaign.
Adeleke promises industrialised Osun
Beyond thanking supporters and acknowledging Tinubu’s congratulatory call, Adeleke used his victory speech to outline his vision for his second term.
He said his administration would focus on transforming Osun from a state heavily dependent on civil service employment into an industrial economy.
“I will repay that thank you back by making sure that I have a vision,” he said.
“My vision is to make sure Osun State moves from a civil service state to an industrial state.”
The governor also promised that development would not be concentrated in any particular part of the state but would extend across Osun.
“And make sure that all cuts across Osun State; I mean development,” he said.
His pledge signals a renewed emphasis on economic transformation, industrialisation and broader development as the central pillars of his second-term agenda.
Adeleke’s comments also suggest that his administration intends to build on infrastructure and other projects undertaken during his first term while seeking to attract greater economic activity to the state.
“I love you, Osun State
The governor ended his remarks on an emotional note, repeatedly expressing his affection for the people of the state and thanking them for the mandate.
“I love you Osun State, I love you and I love you. I love you. Thank you,” Adeleke said.
The declaration followed an election in which the incumbent emerged with a clear majority despite a strong challenge from the APC.
The result represents a significant political victory for Adeleke and the Accord Party, while the APC’s defeat leaves the party with the task of reviewing its strategy after Oyebamiji’s loss.
For Adeleke, however, the immediate challenge is now to translate the fresh mandate into the industrial and statewide development agenda he promised voters.
His pledge to move Osun “from a civil service state to an industrial state” is expected to become one of the defining themes of his second term.
The governor’s remarks also placed emphasis on political reconciliation, with his “no victor, no vanquished” message signalling an attempt to move beyond the bitterly fought election and focus attention on governance.
Meanwhile, Tinubu’s reported congratulatory call has added a new dimension to the post-election political atmosphere in Osun, particularly as Adeleke himself publicly praised the President for allowing the electoral process to run its course.
Olajengbesi, while speaking after Adeleke’s declaration, also commended Tinubu for what he described as the President’s decision not to interfere in the electoral process.
Adeleke’s re-election therefore leaves him with a renewed mandate, a clear electoral victory over his major challenger and a stated ambition to transform Osun’s economy — while his call for reconciliation could set the tone for the political relationship between the governor and his opponents in the months ahead.