The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is set to declare the candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ademola Adeleke, the winner of the just concluded governorship election in Osun State, South-west Nigeria.

Mr Adeleke, a former senator and younger brother to the state’s first governor, Isiaka Adeleke, defeated the incumbent governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gboyega Oyetola, by a margin of about 44,426 votes.

Based on PREMIUM TIMES’ computation of the final results announced by the electoral commission, INEC, the PDP polled about 403,374 votes while the APC polled about 358,948 votes.

INEC is currently collating the final figures before an official announcement is made.

Meanwhile, there were 13 other candidates that took part in the election including Akin Ogunbiyi of the Accord Party, Goke Omigbodun of the Social Democratic Party, and the former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Lasun Yusuf, who contested under the platform of Labour Party.

Adeleke’s victory

The PDP’s Mr Adeleke won in 17 local government areas out of the state’s 30 while Mr Oyetola of the APC claimed victory in the remaining 13 local government areas.

The election was a repeat of the 2018 contest between the two politicians, reigniting old political rivalries between them.

The incumbent governor, who had served as the chief of staff to the state’s immediate past governor and now minister of interior, Rauf Aregbesola, had narrowly defeated Mr Adeleke in 2018, in a manner described by many Nigerians as controversial.

Saturday’s election, according to many observers and particularly civil societies such as Yiaga Africa, Centre for Journalism, Innovation and Development (CJID), among others, was characterised largely by vote-buying.

More details will be provided once INEC officially announces the winner.

(Premium Times)