The newly re-elected Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, has described the massive federal security deployment for the poll Saturday a “declaration of war”, and his victory a “strong message” to President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Mr. Aregbesola said being voted for a second four-year term has affirmed that “no might is powerful enough to thwart the will of the people”.
“Our victory is due to the steadfastness and resolute determination of our people to assert and defend their rights. The PDP obviously did all it could in a most desperate manner to steal the people’s mandate,” the governor said in a speech after being declared winner early Sunday.
“We have sent a strong signal to all and sundry that no might is powerful enough to thwart the will of the people,” he said, and warned that “Nobody or party must ever exercise power unreasonably at any level except in accordance with the will of the people to whom sovereignty belongs.”
The governorship poll was keenly fought, mainly between Mr. Aregbesola of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP’s Iyiola Omisore.
To emerge winner of the election contested by 20 political parties, Mr. Aregbesola polled a total of 394,684 votes, winning the highest number of votes in 22 of the 30 Local Government Areas of the state.
His closest challenger, Iyiola Omisore of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP], polled 292,747 votes to come second. He won in eight local government areas.
