The All Progressives Congress in Osun State says it will not immediately congratulate Governor Ademola Adeleke on his victory in the August 15 governorship election, insisting that it is still examining the outcome of the poll.
The Director-General of the APC governorship campaign council, Oluwole Oke, said the party was conducting a detailed review of the election and would decide its next course of action after studying the available records.
Oke disclosed this during an interview with Arise News, explaining that the campaign team’s position was based on its assessment of events during the election.
He said the congratulatory message issued by President Bola Tinubu to Adeleke should not be interpreted as the position of the APC campaign organisation.
«“What we are doing, even for the future and for the records, is to conduct a thorough review of the entire process and then form our opinion. We won’t be under any sort of pressure to easily reach out to congratulate Senator Ademola Adeleke,” Oke said.»
The APC campaign chief further stated that the party disagreed with the declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
«“We do not agree with the declaration of INEC. That’s our position for now. We believe he did not score the highest valid votes,” he said.»
INEC had declared Adeleke the winner after he secured 511,067 votes, defeating the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes. The Accord candidate, Najeem Salaam, came third with 17,180 votes.
Adeleke won 19 local government areas, while Oyebamiji prevailed in 11, leaving the incumbent with a margin of 66,252 votes.
Following the declaration, Adeleke urged his main challenger to congratulate him, describing such an action as the “civilised thing to do.”
However, Oke said the APC would not be rushed into making such a gesture before completing its review of the election.
He disclosed that the party had instructed its agents across the state to submit electoral documents for scrutiny.
«“We have embarked on an audit process. We have asked all our party agents to submit copies of Forms EC8A, B and C to our secretariat for review. We need to inspect the materials,” Oke stated.»
The party’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, also said the APC was examining results from the 332 wards in the state.
Oke said the party would consider all available legal options if its review uncovered irregularities, noting that the electoral process could be challenged through the appropriate judicial channels.
“When you have a project of this nature with the outcome announced by INEC, we will not be in a haste, nor shall we be under pressure without doing the needful,” he said.
According to him, the APC would also examine events leading up to the election and the conduct of the poll against the provisions of the Electoral Act and other relevant laws.
“Until we do that and form our opinion, we won’t be able to go further to say anything on this,” Oke added.
The campaign DG also criticised the Adeleke administration over its performance in sectors including education, healthcare and agricultural support, alleging that the government had failed to meet the expectations of residents.
He said, “When you look at this in totality, you can see the failures of government glaring in the citizens’ faces.”
Oke urged members of the public to allow the party to complete its assessment before it announces its final position on the election and possible next steps.
