Osun Poll: APC Rejects Adeleke’s Victory, Begins Review of Election Results

• Osun Governor Ademola Adeleke was declared the winner of the 15 August governorship election by INEC.

• The APC says it does not accept the result and believes Adeleke did not secure the highest valid votes.

• The party is auditing results submitted by its agents across the state before deciding its next move.

• APC officials say the party could pursue legal action if its review uncovers electoral irregularities.

August 18, () — The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has said it will not be pressured into congratulating Governor Ademola Adeleke following his victory in the 15 August governorship election, as the party reviews the conduct and results of the poll.

The Director-General of the APC campaign council, Oluwole Oke, said the party was conducting an audit of the election and would determine its next course of action after examining the available records.

Speaking on MEDIA TODAY on Monday, Oke said the campaign team did not accept the declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which returned Adeleke as the winner.

“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 declared Adeleke the winner after he secured 511,067 votes, defeating the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes. African Democratic Congress candidate Najeem Salaam finished third with 17,180 votes.

Adeleke won 19 of Osun’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji won 11, giving the incumbent a margin of 66,252 votes.

The governor had said he expected Oyebamiji to telephone him and concede, describing such a gesture as the “civilised thing to do”.

However, Oke said the APC campaign team would prioritise reviewing the election before making any decision on congratulating the governor.

“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,” he said.

APC Begins Election Result Audit

The APC has directed its polling agents to submit copies of election result forms, including Forms EC8A, EC8B and EC8C, to the party secretariat for scrutiny.

Oke said the review would cover not only the results but also the conduct of the election and issues arising before the poll, with reference to the Electoral Act and other relevant laws.

The party’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, separately said the APC was still examining results from all 332 wards.

The party also indicated that it could pursue legal action if its review uncovered irregularities. Oke said the APC would consult its lawyers and consider the available legal options.

The campaign director-general also distinguished the position of the campaign team from that of President Bola Tinubu, who had congratulated Adeleke after INEC announced the result.

According to Oke, the president’s position differed from that of the campaign organisation, which was directly involved in the election and was assessing the results submitted by its agents.

The APC’s review comes as Adeleke prepares to begin another term following his re-election, while the opposition party weighs whether to accept the result or challenge aspects of the election through the courts.

For now, Oke said the party would not be rushed into taking a position until its assessment was complete.

“Until we do that and form our opinion, we won’t be able to go further to say anything on this,” he said.