Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has said his closest challenger in the just-concluded governorship election, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), should be the one to call and congratulate him on his victory, not the other way round.

Adeleke spoke in an exclusive interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him the winner of the election.

Asked if he would reach out to the APC candidate, the governor said it was incumbent on Oyebamiji to reach out to him first, if he wanted to be civilised.

“I am not the one that is supposed to reach out to him now because I am the one that won the election and I have been announced. If he wants to be civilised, he is the one that is supposed to call me and say congratulations,” Adeleke said.

Despite his position that Oyebamiji should initiate contact, Adeleke extended an invitation to his opponent to work with his administration and contribute ideas that could benefit the state.

“But right now, I am seizing this opportunity on national TV to extend my hands of fellowship to come on now and talk to me. If you have any ideas, talk to me, and I will put it on the table. If the idea is good, I will want to utilise it; one thing is Osun State first,” he added.

Adeleke also said his administration would seek to heal the political divisions that characterised the campaign ahead of the election.

He disclosed plans to establish a reconciliation committee that would bring together his political opponents and other stakeholders to work towards the development of the state.

“I will look for a reconciliation committee to unite Osun people. I will invite even our opponents; if you have any idea, bring it to the table so that we could join hands together and make Osun great,” said the governor.

The Returning Officer for the election, Joshua Ogunwole, declared Adeleke the winner at the INEC Collation Centre in Osogbo in the early hours of Sunday.

The former federal lawmaker, who contested on the platform of the Accord Party, polled 511,067 votes to defeat Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, came third with 17,180 votes.

The governor won in 19 of Osun State’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji won 11.

The victory gives Adeleke another four-year term after he was first elected governor in 2022 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

His re-election followed months of intense campaigning, political tension and violence across the state, with 15 political parties participating in the election.

As of the time of filing this report, Oyebamiji had yet to congratulate Adeleke on his victory.

The APC in Osun said it was studying the results of the governorship election in each of the 332 wards across the state before deciding on its next line of action.

According to the state chapter of the party, the election cannot be considered concluded without exploring all constitutionally permitted legal opportunities under the Electoral Act 2026, as amended. (Channels)