The All Progressives Congress (APC) has defeated the African Democratic Congress (ADC) at the polling unit of former Osun State Governor and former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, in Saturday’s governorship election.
It is understood that the result represents an early setback for the ADC, where Aregbesola serves as National Secretary and has been campaigning for the party’s governorship candidate, Najeem Salaam.
At Polling Unit 001, Cooperative Building Junction, Isare, Ward 08, Ilesa East Local Government Area, where Aregbesola cast his ballot earlier in the day, the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, polled 256 votes to emerge the winner.
The incumbent governor and Accord Party candidate, Ademola Adeleke, secured 43 votes, while the ADC’s Salaam recorded only 13 votes.
This outcome came despite Aregbesola’s political influence in Ilesa and his role as one of the prominent figures behind the ADC’s campaign in the state.
The ADC also suffered another defeat at a polling unit close to Aregbesola’s family compound.
At Polling Unit 007, Elegant D.C. (Agbon Arugbo), Isare, Ward 08, Ilesa East LGA, the APC secured 202 votes, followed by Accord with 110 votes, while the ADC managed 12 votes.
Aregbesola, who governed Osun State from 2010 to 2018, had earlier voted in his hometown of Ilesa as the electoral process commenced across the state.
His inability to deliver his immediate polling environment to the ADC could provide an early talking point in an election in which the party has sought to establish itself as a credible alternative to the APC.
Aregbesola governed Osun for two terms, initially under the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and later the APC, a party he helped establish in 2013. He subsequently served as Minister of Interior under the APC administration before leaving the party for the ADC.
The former governor’s political standing has been central to the ADC’s positioning as a third force in Osun politics, with Salaam relying on the backing of prominent figures such as Aregbesola.
However, the results from the two polling units in Ilesa East show the APC maintaining a strong foothold in an area where the former governor’s political influence would have been expected to favour the ADC.
The incumbent governor, Adeleke, is seeking a second term in the closely watched election.
Politics Nigeria reported earlier that there was jubilation in Ede North Local Government Area of Osun on Saturday after Governor Adeleke secured a landslide victory at his polling unit in the ongoing governorship election.
Adeleke, the Accord Party candidate, polled 421 votes at Ward 02, Polling Unit 009, Abogunde Compound, Ede North, to defeat his rivals at the unit. The All Progressive Congress got 29 votes at the same polling unit.
The announcement of the result triggered celebrations among supporters of the governor, who gathered at the polling unit as the votes were counted and declared.
Voting in Saturday’s election commenced as early as 9 a.m., and ended around 2:30 p.m. at some polling units across the state. Collation exercise was still ongoing across the state.
