Governor Ademola Adeleke has appealed for peace, unity and healing in Osun State following pre-election violence.

Mr Adeleke made the appeal while speaking with journalists after his election victory on Sunday at his country home in Ede.

The governor also promised to accelerate the state’s development and broaden the scope of good governance.

Mr Adeleke warned against post-election attacks on opposition supporters, calling for forgiveness and the restoration of communal love after weeks of gun attacks across the state.

He observed a minute’s silence for victims of the pre-election violence and urged community leaders and traditional institutions to embark on peace-building initiatives in their communities.

The governor, who dedicated his victory to God and the people of the state, commended their resilience, strong will and unwavering commitment to democracy, promising not to disappoint them.

“As you have trusted me with a second term in office, I will reinforce my strong points and correct my errors.

“Osun will witness further accelerated development and growth under my renewed five-point agenda,” he said.

Mr Adeleke further commended President Bola Tinubu for supporting a free and fair election.

He also reaffirmed his endorsement of Mr Tinubu for a second term in 2027.

“To all lovers of democracy, I thank you for supporting our struggle. From home and abroad, the support is overwhelming. My faith in democracy is deepened.

“Most importantly, I thank the media for standing by us.

“The constant coverage in support of democracy emboldened us. We are grateful. Osun State is on the march again. We shall expand development and widen the net of good governance.

“In this race, there is no victor, no vanquished. I extend an olive branch to my co-contestants.

“I am the governor of all Osun people. My vision remains taking Osun from a civil service state to an industrial state and an investment destination,” he said.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in the early hours of Sunday, declared Mr Adeleke the winner after polling 511,067 votes to defeat his closest rival, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 444,815 votes.

The INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, who declared the results at the INEC collation centre, said the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, came a distant third with 17,180 votes.

Mr Ogunwole, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, said the total valid votes cast were 985,079, while 20,721 votes were rejected, bringing the total number of votes cast to 1,005,800.

(NAN)