The Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Lagos has congratulated Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu (of APC) on his victory in Saturday’s governorship election.

INEC on Monday morning declared Mr Sanwo-Olu as the poll’s winner, defeating all his 15 opponents with 762,134 votes for a second term in office.

In a statement on Monday, the SDP chairman in Lagos, Femi Olaniyi (aka Ferrari), said Mr Sanwo-Olu’s victory showed his popularity.

Mr Olaniyi, who urged Mr Sanwo-Olu to be magnanimous in victory, however, called for inclusive governance.

“In the spirit of sportsmanship, we want to congratulate Sanwo-Olu on his deserved victory at Saturday’s governorship election. Sanwo-Olu’s re-election provides him with another opportunity to justify the hope reposed on him by the people,” said the SDP chair.

Mr Olaniyi added, “It is a time to reflect and chat (about) a way to get the dividends of democracy across to the masses. It is another opportunity to alleviate the suffering of the masses. It is another time to put smiles on the faces of our people at the grassroots. We believe Sanwo-Olu will do more for the people of Lagos state.”

He said the governor must be more inclusive in governance and bring the right and qualified people on board to deliver his campaign promises to the people.

“The SDP will want to use this medium to counsel the governor to prioritise inclusiveness and carry all relevant stakeholders along,” the party chair urged.

According to him, SDP will not hesitate to offer counsel and engage in constructive criticism where necessary.

Mr Olaniyi, who noted that the election was not without flaws, urged INEC, security agencies and other stakeholders to improve the electoral process in the country.

Mr Sanwo-Olu polled 762,134 votes to defeat his closest rival of the Labour Party, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, who scored 312,329 votes. PDP candidate Abdul-Azeez Adediran came third with 62,449 votes.

(NAN)