By Opeyemi Adelakun
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has congratulated Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke on his re-election, saying the outcome of Saturday’s governorship poll reflected the choice of the electorate.
Makinde, in a message posted on his verified X account on Sunday, described Adeleke as his brother and said his return to office followed a difficult political journey.
“Hearty congratulations to my brother, His Excellency Ademola @AAdeleke_01 on his reelection as Governor of Osun State,” Makinde wrote.
“It has indeed been a long and arduous journey, but we are delighted that the will of the good people of Osun State prevailed in the end.”
His message came shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Adeleke winner of the election, in which the incumbent secured a second term.
Adeleke, contesting under the Accord Party after leaving the Peoples Democratic Party, polled 511,067 votes, defeating the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes.
The result gave Adeleke victory in 19 of Osun’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji won 11.
Beyond securing another term, Adeleke’s victory also delivered a significant milestone for the Accord Party, which recorded its first governorship victory in Osun State.
The election followed months of intense political manoeuvring after Adeleke left the PDP amid the party’s internal crisis and adopted Accord as the platform for his re-election bid.
His defection was subsequently followed by a series of political realignments, including the movement of 25 members of the Osun State House of Assembly and six members of the House of Representatives from the PDP to Accord.
Makinde has remained one of Adeleke’s prominent political allies within the wider opposition camp, making his reaction one of the notable early responses to the election result.
His congratulatory message also comes amid a wave of reactions from opposition figures following Adeleke’s victory, with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and former Senate President Bukola Saraki among those who have acknowledged the outcome.
For Makinde, however, the central message was about the electorate rather than the political alliances that shaped the contest.
He described Adeleke’s victory as the outcome of what he called a “long and arduous journey”, while stressing that the people of Osun had ultimately determined the result.
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