Osun State Governor-Elect, Ademola Adeleke, says the signing of the Electoral Act contributed to his victory in the just-concluded governorship election in his state.
Adeleke had stunned the incumbent governor, Gboyega Oyetola, to win the election, reversing the outcome of a matchup between both men in 2018.
He secured 403,371 votes, 28,344 more than Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who polled 375,027 votes, to emerge victorious.
The governor-elect gave President Muhammadu Buhari kudos for signing the act which he said prevented any form of rigging during the poll.
“Well, I have to give him (President Buhari) the credit,” Adeleke said in an interview that aired on Channels Television’s Politics Today while responding to a question on the importance of the Act.
“Because if he didn’t sign it, there will be room for rigging. He did that to me in 2018 but this Electoral Act, it’s great!”
President Buhari signed the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law on February 25, following previous unsuccessful attempts by the National Assembly to amend the nation’s electoral laws.
Although the 9th Assembly tried to get the bill passed last year, President Buhari withheld his assent to the bill in November 2021, citing the cost of conducting direct primary elections, security challenges, and possible manipulation of electoral processes by political players as part of the reasons for his decision.
After the lawmakers made some amendments to the piece of legislation, the President assented to the Act, while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted the Osun State governorship election nearly four months later.
Thank You Visit
Adeleke’s victory at the poll has continued to attract commendation from many political stakeholders, including the President.
Reacting to the President’s action, the governor-elect said he felt so good when he learned of the message from the Nigerian leader, adding that he planned to pay him a ‘thank you’ visit.
“The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria congratulating me – when I saw it, I said wow, this is good for our country,” he said. “Democracy is at play here and I am sure after I receive my certificate of return from INEC, I plan to visit him and tell him ‘thank you for the message’.
“Most of the time, the opposition do not congratulate their opponents. Maybe he is trying to leave a legacy that he meant with the Electoral Act that he signed. I am really happy.”
