Oyebanji won the Ekiti poll with 187,057 votes
By Emma Ogbuehi
Congratulatory messages have been coming the way of Biodun Oyebanji, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who was declared winner of yesterday’s Ekiti State governorship poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Oyebanji won the Ekiti poll with 187,057 votes, while the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Chief Segun Oni, got 82,211 votes, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Otunba Olabisi Kolawole, came third with 67,457 votes.
Shortly after the result was announced and Oyebanji declared governor-elect on Sunday morning, President Muhammadu Buhari congratulated him.
The President, who said the victory was well deserved considering Oyebanji’s contributions to the development of the State and the party before his nomination as the standard-bearer, urged him, however, to be magnanimous in victory in the interest of the people of the Ekiti State.
Buhari also rejoiced with the APC national chairman, Senator Abdulahi Adamu, and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling party for the victory, the first under their tenure.
The President in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said, “This is a good beginning for you and your team. The APC is getting stronger and more united.
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“The victory of our party in Ekiti is an indication of the confidence of Nigerians in the ability of our great party to deliver quality governance to all.”
He charged all APC members across and outside the country to see this as a good omen for the 2023 general election and work assiduously to ensure the party’s victory in Osun State in July.
President Buhari also felicitated with the people of Ekiti State for the smooth conduct of the election, affirming that they are the real victors as they have been able to freely choose their leader for the next four years.
He lauded INEC and the law enforcement agencies for the preparations put in place, urging them to keep the momentum for upcoming elections.
Speaking in the same vein, the PDP candidate, Otunba Olabisi Kolawole, congratulated Oyebanji on his victory in the Ekiti poll.
Kolawole in a congratulatory letter he personally signed, said: “Following the announcement of your victory in the June 18 Ekiti Governorship Election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), I hereby write to congratulate you accordingly.
“I believe that power belongs to God and He bestows upon whoever he chooses.
“I also believe in popular choice that the unfettered expression of the peoples mandate as one of the crucial hallmarks of democratic principle and practice.
“Democracy must therefore deliver to the people dividends of security or protection and enhance their social welfare and well-being basically, and among other deliverables.
“These were the motivation for my own ambition in the governorship of Ekiti State which I feel strongly to reiterate here in view of the precarious situations of our people at the moment.
“Please take urgent actions aimed at redressing the plights of our people when you fully assume the mantle shortly.
“Finally, I wish you the guidance of the Almighty God in the onerous task ahead.