The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the recently concluded Osun State election, Bola Oyebamiji, has visited President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, urging residents of the state to remain calm following the election.
Oyebamiji’s visit came a day after Governor Ademola Adeleke, who defeated him in the poll, also met with the President at the State House.
The meeting was disclosed on Friday by Tinubu’s Special Assistant on Social Media, Olusegun Dada, who shared a video of the encounter on X.
Oyebamiji, speaking after the meeting, appealed to Osun residents to maintain peace, stressing that governance should be centred on the welfare of the people.
“It is important for us that we, Nigerians, have to know that government is about people. And because it’s about people, it is important that we need to be peaceful,” he said.
He said the APC was still studying the results of the election before deciding on its next course of action.
“For now, the APC is still examining the books, and by the time we spread our sheet, we’ll be able to get back to the public and listen to what our own opinion and what decisions we want to take,” Oyebamiji said.
He, however, urged his supporters to remain calm pending the party’s decision.
The APC candidate also appealed to Adeleke to caution his supporters against violence, warning that any violent action would ultimately affect ordinary residents.
“I want to advise the governor too that it’s important for him to talk to his people. Violence is against our people. It’s not too good, and he needs to talk to them so that each and every one of us can be on the same page,” he said.
Oyebamiji also disclosed that some APC supporters were allegedly attacked in his hometown, Ikire, on Friday morning.
According to him, about four or five people were attacked, adding that security agencies had been informed of the incident.
The APC candidate lost the August 16 governorship election to Adeleke, who secured 511,067 votes against Oyebamiji’s 444,815 votes.
Adeleke won 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji won 11. The African Democratic Congress candidate, Najeem Salaam, came third with 17,180 votes.
The Independent National Electoral Commission Returning Officer, Prof Joshua Ogunwole, declared Adeleke the winner.
Following the election, President Tinubu congratulated Adeleke, describing the result as an expression of the people’s will and urging the governor to unite the state and focus on its development.
Adeleke subsequently visited Tinubu on Thursday, where he presented his Certificate of Return to the President.
During the meeting, Tinubu urged the governor to demonstrate “magnanimity in victory” and promote peace, unity and stability in Osun.
Oyebamiji’s meeting with Tinubu came a day after Adeleke’s visit to the President.
