The National Secretary of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Dipo Olayoku, has described Governor Ademola Adeleke’s victory in the August 15 Osun State governorship election as a reflection of the will of the people, even as he raised concerns over alleged irregularities in the electoral process.
Olayoku spoke on Monday while featuring on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, during a post-election review of the poll.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Adeleke of the Accord Party winner after he polled 511,067 votes to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes. African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, came third with 17,180 votes.
Adeleke’s victory secured him a second term in office after he emerged victorious across 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji won 11 local governments.
Olayoku commended the relatively quick conclusion of the collation process, saying the timely declaration of the result was a positive development.
“All is well that ends well. I think it went well because at least the winner was announced within, let’s just say, about 15 hours and 30 minutes,” he said.
According to him, reports received from members of his party across the state indicated that the result reflected the preference of a significant number of Osun voters. He attributed Adeleke’s support partly to his relationship with the people during his first term.
However, the NNPP national secretary cautioned against using the outcome of the election alone to determine whether the exercise was entirely free, fair and credible.
“We commend the people of Osun, but that does not mean that the election didn’t have its own loopholes,” Olayoku said.
He alleged that intimidation, political interference, vote-buying and other controversies characterised parts of the electoral process, arguing that such issues should be properly examined by relevant authorities.
Olayoku also questioned the decision by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to freeze an account belonging to the Osun State Government shortly before the election over concerns about possible vote-buying.
He argued that if vote-buying was the concern, measures against the practice should be applied consistently to all political actors.
The NNPP chieftain further raised questions over the handling of local government funds in the state, alleging that funds meant for local governments had been withheld for about 15 months.
“Do you know that in Osun today, the local government funds have been seized by the Federal Government for the past fifteen months?” he asked.
He also questioned the continued stay in office of some local government chairmen despite court decisions concerning their tenure.
Olayoku alleged that members and supporters of the Accord Party faced intimidation in the build-up to the election. He further cited an alleged threat against Accord supporters in Ilesa.
“Few days to the election, a senator of the APC was addressing his followers where he told them that any Accord Party member seen around Ilesha on the day of election should be killed,” he alleged.
He said the allegations surrounding the election made it difficult to describe the exercise as completely free, fair and credible.
“So with all that has happened, nobody will agree that the election was free, fair and credible,” he stated.
Despite his concerns, Olayoku said the outcome demonstrated the determination of Osun voters to exercise their democratic choice.
“The people of Osun have shown that they have their will and their conviction, and nobody can change their will,” he said.
He urged political parties, government institutions and electoral authorities to learn from the Osun experience and address weaknesses in the electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Adeleke, while reacting to his victory, described his re-election as a “gesture of thank you” from the people of Osun, promising to repay their confidence with further development across the state.
