ADELEKE WON BECAUSE TINUBU ALLOWED FREE, FAIR ELECTION — WIKE

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said Governor Ademola Adeleke’s victory in the Osun State governorship election was possible because President Bola Ahmed Tinubu allowed the election to be conducted freely and fairly.
Wike made the remark while reacting to the outcome of the election, which saw Adeleke defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.
According to Wike, the outcome demonstrated that the Federal Government did not interfere with the electoral process to favour the ruling APC.
He said Tinubu deserves credit for allowing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to perform their duties without undue interference.
Wike argued that if the President had wanted to manipulate the election in favour of the APC, the outcome would have been different.
He maintained that Adeleke’s victory therefore showed that the government was prepared to respect the wishes of voters when elections were conducted.
The former Rivers State governor also urged political actors to accept the result and allow democracy to take its course.
Adeleke was declared winner after polling the highest number of votes in the election, securing another term as governor of Osun State.
Wike’s comments come amid continued reactions to the election, with political leaders assessing the conduct and outcome of the closely contested poll.
He described the Osun election as an indication that Nigeria’s electoral process can produce credible outcomes when relevant institutions are allowed to operate independently.