The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has presented to Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State his certificate of return after winning the state governorship election.
The certificate of return was presented to Adeleke by INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State, Oluwatoyin Babalola.
He was presented with the certificate at 1:30 PM shortly after the Deputy Governor, Prince Kola Adewusi, was given his certificate of return, on Wednesday at the electoral body’s headquarters in Osogbo
Speaking during the presentation, Babalola said it was done in accordance with the law governing the commission and confirmed the electoral mandate given to Adeleke and Adewusi by voters in the state.
She commended stakeholders for their contributions to the successful conduct of the election, particularly security agencies, non-governmental organisations, the media and traditional leaders.
The Osun REC also praised voters for their participation, putting voter turnout at 43.2 per cent, and congratulated Adeleke while urging him to be magnanimous in victory.
Also speaking, INEC National Supervising Commissioner for Osun State, Prof Kunle Ajayi, described the occasion as significant for democracy and the people of the state.
Ajayi congratulated Adeleke and commended Osun voters for participating in the election despite tensions and incidents of violence recorded during the build-up to the poll.
He said the conduct of the election demonstrated the resilience and determination of the people of Osun, while stressing that INEC entered the state to uphold democratic principles rather than support any particular candidate.
NEWSNGR reported earlier that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Sunday, confirmed Governor Ademola Adeleke as the winner of the keenly contested election in Osun State on Saturday, August 15.
According to the electoral empire, Adeleke who is seeking second term in office won nineteen local government areas, while his closest rival, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), won eleven local government areas.
Meanwhile, Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) claimed a distant third.
The total results announced by INEC showed that Adeleke had a total of 511,067 votes while Oyebamiji gathered 444,815 votes, a difference of 66,256 votes.
