No victor, no vanquished, Accord chair calls for unity after Osun election

The National Chairman of the Accord Party, Maxwell Mgbudem, has described the re-election of Governor Ademola Adeleke as a triumph of courage over fear and intimidation.

Addressing a news conference on Monday in Osogbo, Mgbudem said the election was a powerful testament to the people’s resolve to freely and peacefully choose their governor and protect their votes despite all odds.

He said the electioneering period was characterised by unusual harassment, intimidation, destruction of property, arrests, detention and killings.

Mgbudem said the victory was dedicated to the peace-loving people of the state, who had demonstrated their abiding faith in democratic participation and the party.

“We commend all Nigerians, civil society organisations, local and foreign election observers, the international community, the electoral umpire and security agencies.

“They prioritised electoral integrity and transparency and upheld democratic values, ethics, ethos and ideals during the Osun gubernatorial poll.

“We did it all together and once again made Nigeria proud.

“The election is over. The people of Osun State have won. There is no victor, no vanquished,” he said.

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The Accord chairman commended the candidates of other political parties who stepped down for Adeleke, describing the gesture as a strong signal of political alliance, cooperation and partnership that would deepen the nation’s democracy.

He, however, urged other political parties, candidates, members and supporters to close ranks and work with the governor to make the state great again.

“Osun State belongs to all its citizens.

“The interest of the state is greater than individual and political interests,” he said.

INEC, in the early hours of Sunday, declared Adeleke the winner after polling 511,067 votes to defeat his closest rival, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 444,815 votes.

The INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, who declared the results at the INEC collation centre, said the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Najeem Salaam, came a distant third with 17,180 votes.

Ogunwole, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, said the total valid votes cast were 985,079, while 20,721 votes were rejected, bringing the total number of votes cast to 1,005,800.(NAN)