For the second time in four years, Senator Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party and Governor Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress were neck and neck as results of the Osun governorship election trickled in.
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This time however, Adeleke emerged winner after losing out to Oyetola four years ago in a controversial contest that needed a rerun to settle.
In the results collated early Sunday morning, Adeleke won 17 of the 30 Local Government Areas, with the incumbent governor winning the remaining 13 LGAs.
Overall, Adeleke polled 403,371 votes to defeat Oyetola, who polled 375, 027 votes.
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A breakdown of votes in each of the LGAs shows that PDP got 7,750 votes in Atakumosa West, while APC scored 6,601.
In Ede North, Adeleke scored 23,931 votes to defeat Oyetola who polled 9,603 votes.
Adeleke also won in Obokun LGA with 13,575 votes, while Oyetola scored 9,727 votes.
In Ife North, Adeleke won with 10, 359 votes while Oyetola scored 9, 964 votes.
Adeleke also won in Ejigbo LGA where he scored 18, 065 votes while Oyetola got 14, 355 votes.
The PDP candidate also won in Orolu with 10,282 votes while APC got 9,928 votes.
Adeleke scored 13,230 votes in Egbedore LGA to win Oyetola, who scored 9,228 votes.
In Ilesa West, Adeleke won with 13,769 votes, while Oyetola scored 10,777 votes.
However, the Polling Officer in one of the units in the LGA was attacked and hospitalised.
In Oriade LGA, Adeleke scored 15,947 votes while Oyetola came second with 14,189 votes.
Adeleke polled 5,860 votes in Boluwaduro, while Oyetola scored 5,649 votes
To win Olorunda LGA, Adeleke polled 21, 350 votes while Oyetola was able to secure 18,709 votes.
In Ede South, Adeleke who is popularly known as the ‘dancing senator’ picked up 19,438 votes while the incumbent governor had 5,704.
Adeleke polled 10,282 to win Orolu LGA where Oyetola secured 9928 votes.
The PDP candidate also won in Chief Bisi Akande’s Ila LGA with 13,036 votes, while Oyetola scored 11,163 votes.
In Osogbo, the PDP candidate polled 30,401 votes — well ahead of the APC flag bearer who secured 22,952 votes.
Odo-Otin LGA also went the way of the PDP as Adeleke got 14,003 votes while Oyetola picked up 13,482. Some hoodlums invaded one of the polling units and went away with a ballot box. The police went after them and recovered the ballot box and arrested the hoodlums.
To win Ifelodun LGA, the PDP candidate picked up 17,107 votes while Oyetola placed second with 16,068 votes.
Adeleke also won Irepodun LGA with 14,369 votes while the APC candidate got 12,122.
Iwo LGA however went the way of the Osun governor who picked 17, 421 votes compared to the 16,914 secured by Adeleke.
Polling 14,527 in Ayedaade LGA, the incumbent governor also beat Adeleke who had 13,380 votes.
In Boripe LGA, Oyetola also emerged victorious, polling 21,205 votes to defeat the PDP candidate who had 7,595.
Oyetola won Isokan LGA by a slim margin, securing 10,833 votes while Adeleke got 10,777.
The Osun State governor also scored 9, 123 votes in Ola Oluwa LGA to lead Adeleke who polled 7, 205 votes.
In Ife South, Oyetola scored 12, 481 votes, while Adeleke got 9,116 votes.
Oyetola also won in Ilesa East LGA with 13,452 votes, while Adeleke scored 10,969 votes
The incumbent governor also won in Ayedire with 7, 868 votes while Adeleke scored 7, 402 votes.
In Ife Central, Oyetola defeated Adeleke with 17,880 votes while the PDP got 13,532 votes.
Oyetola also defeated Adeleke in Ifedayo LGA with 5,016 votes while the PDP candidate scored 4,730 votes.
In Atakunmosa East, Oyetola scored 7,449 votes while Adeleke scored 6, 992.
However, votes in Ward 07 and Ward 08 in Ilesa East were cancelled as hoodlums disrupted the voting process and carted away ballot boxes.
In Ife Central, Oyetola scored 17, 880 votes to defeat Adeleke who scored 13, 532.
Oyetola also scored 18, 189 votes to win in Irewole LGA while Adeleke got 14, 216 votes.
The governorship poll did not end without drama, as the Minister of Interior and former Governor of Osun State, Aregbesola, did not vote during the poll.
While the pioneer Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande lost his Ila LGA to the PDP, Aregbesola boycotted the governorship election and travelled out of the country.
However, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), said its operatives on election monitoring duties arrested three persons suspected of vote buying in the gubernatorial election.
Aregbesola, it was gathered travelled abroad on an official engagement.
The minister has been at loggerheads with Oyetola.
The APC in Osun currently has two factions — one loyal to Aregbesola while the other supports Oyetola.
The minister had backed Moshood Adeoti, a former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), for the APC governorship ticket but Oyetola won the primary.
Aregbesola had subsequently described the primary as a “sham of an election” after his preferred candidate lost.
The minister was also not present during the APC mega rally in Osun on Tuesday, which was attended by Tinubu, the party’s presidential candidate, as well as governors and other party stakeholders.
Residents, who spoke to THISDAY in Ifofin, Ilesha area, where Aregbesola was expected to cast his vote, said it was “unlike the minister” who always arrives in his hometown on the eve of an election.
“By now, everywhere will be bubbling with activities because Aregbe would have entered since Friday,” a resident said.
“He is so loved here and he has tried his best for his people. I don’t know why he’s not around this time like he’s always done.”
The candidates, who took part in Saturday’s exercise, besides Oyetola and Adeleke, include a former Adeleke of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Lasun, of the Labour Party; Dr Oyegoke Omigbodun of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, and Dr Akin Ogunbiyi of the Accord Party.
Others are Munirudeen Atanda of the Action Democratic Party, ADP; Lukman Awoyemi of Allied Peoples’ Movement , APM, and Busuyi Ayowole of Peoples Redemption Party, PRP.
Demola Ojo
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