Obi also encouraged his supporters after LP’s poor outing, saying the outcome of the Osun election will not hinder the aspiration of his party to take back Nigeria
By Kehinde Okeowo
The flagbearer of Labour Party (LP) in the upcoming 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi, has hailed the governorship candidate of his party, Lasun Yussuf despite his poor showing in the Osun State gubernatorial election on Saturday, July 16.
He also congratulated the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and that state’s Governor-elect, Ademola Adeleke, on his victory.
Adeleke was officially declared the winner of the Osun State gubernatorial election on Sunday by the Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe.
He won, after defeating his closest rival who is the incumbent Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and other contestants.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared that Adeleke got a total of 403,371 votes to beat the incumbent, who got 375,027 votes in a keenly contested race.
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According to the total votes recorded by the electoral umpire, the PDP won 17 of the 30 Local Government Areas of the state, while the APC won the remaining 13, while LP won none.
But reacting to Adeleke’s victory in a statement on Sunday night, Obi, congratulated the LP governorship candidate in the state and his deputy for their resolve and sportsmanship.
He said, “I congratulate the Labour party candidate, Rt. Hon Lasun Sulaimon Yusuff and his running mate, Adeola Adekunle Atanda, for a hard-fought battle and their spirit of resolve and sportsmanship, despite the outcome.”
He also encouraged his supporters, saying the outcome of the Osun election will not hinder the aspiration of his party to take back Nigeria.
He added, “To the Obidient Movement Family and our supporters nationwide, the outcome of this particular election is not a verdict on our exponentially growing strength nationwide, especially when viewed against the fact that we are barely one month old in the party and we had to contend with forces that have been entrenched in the state for the last two decades.
“However, within this very short period of only a few weeks, the Labour Party has made its presence and political impact felt nationally.
“We must strengthen our collective resolve not to relent in our noble march to take back our country. Much work remains to be done, hence we must focus the totality of our efforts now on the forthcoming 2023 General elections.
“In the fullness of time, our message of rescue and recovery will resonate throughout the length and breadth of the Nation and most Nigerian electorate will buy in into our mission to take back Nigeria, for the purpose of rescuing it from continued decline, shift the National psyche from consumption to production and from sharing dwindling resources to creating wealth and frontally combating poverty. – PO”