The Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship campaign in Osun State, Oluwole Oke, has explained why the party has yet to congratulate Governor Ademola Adeleke following his victory in the August 15 governorship election.
Speaking during an interview with Arise News on Monday, Oke said the APC was still examining the outcome of the poll and would decide its next line of action after completing a review of the election records.
He noted that while President Bola Tinubu had congratulated Adeleke after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the result, the campaign organisation was focused on assessing events surrounding the election before reaching any conclusion.
“And like I’ve told you that what we are doing, even for future, for 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.
He added, “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.”
INEC had declared Adeleke, the Accord candidate, winner of the election after securing 511,067 votes, ahead of APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished third with 17,180 votes.
The election result showed Adeleke winning in 19 local government areas, while Oyebamiji carried 11 councils, leaving the governor with a margin of 66,252 votes.
After the announcement of the result, Adeleke said he expected a congratulatory call from Oyebamiji, describing such a gesture as the “civilised thing to do.”
Responding, Oke maintained that the APC campaign team would first conclude its assessment of the electoral process before taking any further step.
“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.
Oke disclosed that the party had begun reviewing election materials and instructed its agents across the state to submit result documents for verification.
“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 said.
Also speaking, the APC Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, said the party was still analysing results from all 332 wards in the state.
According to the party, the electoral process does not end with the declaration of results, stressing that legal channels remain available through the tribunal, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. It added that its legal team would be consulted and appropriate action taken if any irregularities were established.
Oke further stated that the review would cover both the conduct of the election and issues arising before the poll, with attention given to compliance with 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,” he said.
The APC campaign chief also took a swipe at the Adeleke administration, questioning its performance in key sectors, including education, healthcare and agriculture.
He said, “When you look at this in totality, you can see the failures of government glaring in the citizens’ faces.”
Oke appealed to party supporters and members of the public to allow the APC complete its review of the election before announcing its next move.
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