SAN FRANCISCO, July 10, (THEWILL) – The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Saturday’s bye-election in Osun West senatorial district, Ademola Adeleke, says his electoral victory is “a pointer that PDP will be victorious in the 2018 governorship election in the state’’.
He polled 97,480 votes to win in nine of the 10 local government areas where the election was held, as against the 66,116 votes scored by the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate, Mudashiru Husain, who won in only one local government area.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday in Ede, Adeleke described his victory as a new dawn for democracy, and commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the security operatives for ensuring that the election was free and fair.
The Senator-elect said: “We are working hard to ensure that the 2018 governorship election in Osun is won by PDP.
“My victory is a new dawn in the history of our democracy.
“Our democracy is growing where an incumbent will be there and opposition will defeat the incumbent.
“This is a rare gem and this shows that our democracy is improving.
“We want to make sure that there is nothing like rigging anymore, no matter how you try, we want our democracy to grow.”
Ademola is a younger brother to the late Isiaka Adeleke, the first Executive Governor of Osun, who was occupying the senatorial seat until his death on April 23.
He commended the people in the senatorial district for coming out en masse to vote for him.
“I can assure you that I will continue from where my late brother left it and that is where I tag my campaign continuity,” he said, pledging to engage in social welfare programmes for people in the district.
“I have budgeted N250 million for students’ scholarship, empowerment programme for women as well as free mobile medical care,” Adeleke said.
He also commended journalists for their sense of professionalism in the coverage of the election.
