Buhari congratulates Adeleke on election victory, says people’s will must be respected

By ISMAILA CHAFE

President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Sen. Ademola Adeleke, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), following victory of the party in Saturday’s gubernatorial election in Osun.

The President’s congratulatory message is contained in a statement  by his spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina, on Sunday in Abuja.

The president expressed  conviction that with the election over, the people of Osun had expressed their will through the ballot, and the will of the people must always matter and be respected in a democracy.

According to him, the successful conduct of the election is a further testimony to the maturity and commitment of all stakeholders – the electoral body, security agencies, political parties, the media, civil society and the electorate- to further strengthen the integrity of the electoral process in the country.

Buhari reassured the nation that the  commitment of his administration ”toward having credible elections remains unshaken.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the  INEC returning officer for the Osun gubernatorial election, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe,  on Sunday morning,  declared Adeleke of the PDP,  winner.

He announced that Adeleke polled   403,371 votes to defeat his closet rival, Gov. Gboyega Oyetola, the candidate of the APC, who scored 375,027 votes.

Ogundipe, who is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, said that the Action Democratic Party (ADP) scored 10,104 to come third.

He also said that the Accord Party candidate scored 4,515 and came fourth. (NAN)