The former Osun State governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, has put aside his differences with Adeleke to congratulate him upon his victory at the Supreme Court.
The victory involved the declaring of Adeleke as the rightful winner of the 2022 Osun Governorship election.
Adeleke, who was declared winner of the polls by INEC, was dragged into a legal dispute by Oyetola and the APC, accused of examination malpractice and electoral underhandedness.
Adeleke, who had lost the case at the Osun Governorship Petitions Tribunal, later won at the Court of Appeal and, more recently, at the Supreme Court.
Though Oyetola admitted that the apex court verdict favours neither him nor his party and supporters, he is willing to accept the decision.
While congratulating Adeleke in a statement he signed personally, he said he is willing to put aside personal, political and religious differences for the sake of the peace and development of the Osun
people. He wrote:
“To the Osun Governor, Senator Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke, I take this opportunity to congratulate you on your victory at the Supreme Court.
“While I pray for your tenure to be prosperous for our people and the State, I urge you to focus on the delivery of good governance.
“Whatever personal differences we have must give way to the advancement of our great State. The security of the Osun people must be guaranteed regardless of their religious and political affiliations. I pray for peace and progress in your tenure.”
Oyetola also urged his supporters in the 2022 Governorship poll as well as members of his party, the APC, to accept the verdict and move on. He encouraged them to look ahead to the tasks awaiting the party. And he expressed appreciation for the commitment of the party at both state and national levels.
“We strongly believe we presented a good case before the Supreme Court but the Court thought otherwise and has given its verdict. While the outcome is against our wish and that of our party members and supporters, we are all bound to accept it as law-abiding citizens,” he stated.
“To our members and supporters across the state, I urge you all to accept the verdict of the Court and move on. The present situation is a win-win for us. It’s both a loss and victory rolled into one. While we lost Osun technically, we gained Nigeria.
“I remain committed to the growth and development of Osun. I will therefore continue to work with well-meaning citizens of Osun, associations and institutions to facilitate the development of our dear State,” he said.
“Similarly, I urge all citizens of Osun to continue to exhibit the Omoluabi ethos and uphold the dreams of our forebears for the State, irrespective of party affiliations.”
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