Senate Leader and Chairman of the National Assembly South-West Caucus, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has urged the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the Osun State election, Bola Oyebamiji, to congratulate Governor Ademola Adeleke on his re-election and offer policy ideas to support the state’s development.
Bamidele made the call in a statement he personally signed on Monday while reviewing the outcome of Saturday’s governorship election.
He congratulated Adeleke on his victory, saying the result demonstrated the power of the electorate in a democracy and placed a responsibility on the governor to pursue inclusive governance.
According to Bamidele, Adeleke secured 511,067 votes to defeat Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes. African Democratic Congress candidate Najeem Salam came third with 17,180 votes.
The Senate Leader said the reported 51.57 per cent voter turnout reflected growing confidence among Nigerians in the electoral process and their participation in choosing political leaders.
He urged all candidates to accept and respect the outcome of the election, stressing that the electorate remained the ultimate decision-maker in a democracy.
Bamidele also called on Adeleke to use his renewed mandate to unite Osun residents across political divides and pursue policies that would promote peace, stability and development.
He said the governor should look beyond the political platform that produced him and extend cooperation to other candidates and political parties in the interest of the state.
The Senate Leader specifically appealed to Oyebamiji to reach out to Adeleke, congratulate him and contribute ideas that could strengthen the administration.
He said the election should not be viewed simply as a contest between winners and losers, arguing that all political actors remained stakeholders in the future of Osun State.
Bamidele also congratulated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the conduct of the election, saying the outcome should provide useful lessons for political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He urged the APC to review its campaign strategy and strengthen its engagement with stakeholders across the South-West.
According to him, the party should broaden its engagement with artisans, traders, farmers, entrepreneurs, youths, women, labour unions, civil society organisations, community leaders, traditional rulers, business leaders, private-sector operators and elderly citizens.
Bamidele said the APC should use the lessons from the Osun election to strengthen its grassroots structure and improve communication with voters ahead of 2027.
He also urged APC members to highlight what he described as the achievements of President Bola Tinubu’s administration in areas including economic reforms, security, democratic governance and national development.
The Senate Leader said Adeleke’s re-election came with a major responsibility to deliver greater dividends of democracy to the people of Osun State.
He expressed optimism that the conclusion of the election would usher in a new phase of development in the state and congratulated the people of Osun on the completion of the electoral process.
