In what can be referred to as a big blow to the Osun state governor, Rauf Aregbesola’s popularity, a United States-based businessman, Dr. Ademola Adeleke, has caused a political upset in the by-election of Osun West Senatorial District.
Ademola, the younger brother to the late Senator Isiaka Adeleke (a.k.a. Serubawon), who is also the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has defeated the candidate of Governor Aregbesola and the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mudashiru Hussain as he has been declared winner of the by-election.
Ademola Adeleke, who contested the poll on the platform of the PDP, won the poll with a total of 97,480 votes to defeat Mudashiru Hussain of the APC who received 66,116 votes.
Announcing the results of the election in Iwo, the INEC residential electoral commissioner for the election, Baritor Kpagih, said Adeleke won nine out of the 10 local government areas where the election was held.
Kpagih therefore returned Ademola, the PDP candidate as senator to complete the tenure of the late Isiaka Adeleke, his elder brother who died on April 23.
The APC only managed to win Ejigbo local government area, which is the local government of its candidate, where Hussain scored 12, 229 votes, against the PDP which polled 9, 723 votes.
The APC’s loss is in spite of the support from the state government, Governor Rauf Aregbesola and the national headquarters of the ruling party.
The result of the election, announced by the Returning Officer, Olaide Lawal, a professor at the Federal University, Oye Ekiti, showed that the PDP candidate had 31, 165 votes more than his APC challenger.
The election was adjudged peaceful, fair and transparent by both observers and other participants.
Both Messrs Adeleke and Hussain had commended the conduct of the election, saying it was peaceful and satisfactory.
Adeleke joined the PDP less than a month before the election, after he faulted the conduct of the primaries of the APC in which he was a contestant.
Reacting to the victory, the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee, NCC, of the PDP, described the victory of the party’s candidate as a general reflection on the reawakening of Nigerians to the deceit of the All Progressive Congress (APC), led administration at all levels.
This, the PDP reasoned, led to the overwhelming rejection of the APC by the electorates in Osun West poll of Saturday.
The NCC of the PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Prince Dayo Adeyeye yesterday in Abuja, noted that the people have spoken with one voice and “we know that Ademola Adeleke will deliver on his promises to the people.”
The party expressed the confidence that without the interference of the APC in the current leadership issues in the party, the PDP remains the party to beat in all elections in Nigeria.
The NCC of the PDP stated that even as the party awaits the judgement of the Supreme Court, “we urge all our members to unite in the interest of Nigerians to rid the country of the horrible APC government.”
The statement by Adeyeye reads, “The Senator Ahmed Makarfi led National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on behalf of the entire organs of the party and PDP family nationwide, warmly congratulates Ademola Adeleke on his victory at the just concluded Osun West Senatorial Bye Election in Osun state on Saturday, July 8, 2017.
“The victory of our party, the PDP at the poll is a general reflection on the reawakening of Nigerians to the deceit of the All Progressives Congress (APC), led administration at all levels, hence, the overwhelming rejection of the APC by the electorates in Osun West.
“The people has spoken with one voice and we know that Ademola Adeleke will deliver on his promises to the people.
“The successful outcome of this election is an evidence of hard work, dedication and the unity of all members of the PDP in Osun State who buried temporary differences in the overall interest of the party and the good people of Osun state.
“We are confident that without the interference of the APC in the current leadership issues in our party, the PDP remains the party to beat in all elections in Nigeria.
“Even as we await the judgement of the Supreme Court, we urge all our members to unite in the interest of Nigerians to rid the country of the horrible APC government.
“Finally, we congratulate the people of Osun West for coming out enmass to vote for our candidate and for their peaceful conduct during the elections. We also congratulate our members in Osun State for this important victory”, it said.
Also reacting, the National Secretary of the party, Professor Adewale Oladipo lauded all the stakeholders in the Election that produced Adeleke as winner.
Oladipo specifically declared that the outcome of the poll actually reflected the wishes of the electorate.
In a statement made available to news men in Abuja yesterday, the National Secretary of the PDP commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Security Agencies and the electorate for the peaceful conduct of the polls, saying that the peaceful conduct of the Bye-election had shown clearly that all hope was not lost in the Nation’s electoral system.
Oladipo equally commended the Senator Ali Modu Sheriff led National Working Committee (NWC), of the party for allowing the people of the Senatorial District pick the candidate of their choice who eventually led the party to victory despite all odds and the power of incumbency nakedly displayed by the All Progressives Congress, APC-led state government.
He stated that the days of impunity in whatever form were over in the running of the affairs of the party with what happened in Osun State bye -election last Saturday where the leadership of the party allowed the members in the Senatorial District to pick the candidate of their choice rather than imposing a candidate on them as it was the case in the past.
It will be recalled that Adeleke defected from the APC at the twilight of its primaries after his opponent, Hussein, who was earlier disqualified by both the primaries committee and the appeals committee, suddenly received clearance by the party’s national working committee. He had accused the party leadership of failing to allow transparency in the process.
Adeleke’s defection cleared the way for Hussein, who had yielded the ticket to the late Adeleke in 2015 despite winning it clearly, as a mark of respect for the first civilian governor of the state.
However, the younger Adeleke’s movement to the PDP went well, with other contenders willingly stepping down for him. He emerged the PDP candidate with 343 votes, thanks to the withdrawal of former Minister of Youth and Sports, Akinlabi Olasunkanmi and Olayiwola Talabi.
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