BY AHMED AKANBI
Former Governor of Abia State and senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has congratulated the Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, on his re-election, but warned that the outcome will not affect President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s prospects in the state ahead of 2027.
Kalu, in a statement issued by his media office on Sunday, said the result of the Osun governorship election should not be interpreted as a setback for President Tinubu or the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He stressed that the President’s political future in the state remains “very bright.”
“I join President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in congratulating Governor Ademola Adeleke on his re-election as the Governor of Osun State. I also sympathise with the APC leadership, our party’s governorship candidate and all our supporters over the outcome of the election,” Kalu said.
The former Senate Chief Whip commended the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy and former Osun State governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, for his contributions to the state.
He urged APC members to remain united and use the result as an opportunity to reassess strategies, strengthen grassroots structures and deepen engagement with stakeholders ahead of 2027.
“What happened in Osun is democracy in play. Elections are about the choice of the people, and as a party, we should be able to come back stronger,” he said.
Kalu added that support for Tinubu in 2027 could extend beyond the APC to stakeholders in other parties, including the Accord.
Adeleke was declared winner of the August 15 governorship election by State Returning Officer, Prof Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole, after polling 511,067 votes to defeat APC’s Bola Oyebamiji who scored 444,815 votes while ADC’s Najeem Salaam came third with 17,180 votes.
Adeleke won 19 of the 30 LGAs, while Oyebamiji won 11. A total of 1,010,684 voters were accredited, with 985,079 valid votes and 20,721 rejected votes.
Kalu urged all stakeholders to accept the outcome and focus on strengthening Nigeria’s democracy, expressing optimism that with renewed mobilisation, the APC and President Tinubu could secure stronger support in Osun and across the country in 202