The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the recently concluded Osun State governorship election, Bola Oyebamiji, has met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
After the meeting, Oyebamiji appealed to Osun residents of the state to remain calm following the outcome of the election.
The meeting was disclosed on Friday by the President’s Special Assistant on Social Media, Olusegun Dada, who shared a video of the encounter on X.
Dada captioned the video: “President Bola Tinubu meets in audience Asiwaju Bola Oyebamiji, the governorship candidate of the APC in the recently concluded Osun State gubernatorial elections.”
Oyebamiji’s visit came a day after Governor Ademola Adeleke, who defeated him in the August 15 election, also met with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa.
Speaking after his meeting with the President, Oyebamiji called on Osun residents to avoid actions that could threaten peace in the state, stressing that governance should remain focused on the people.
“It is important for us that we, Nigerians, have to know that government is about people, and it’s about people, and it’s about people,” he said.
“And because it’s about people, it is important that we need to be peaceful, and I want to appeal to our people in Osun that they need to be peaceful.”
The APC candidate said his party was still reviewing the election results before deciding on its next course of action, urging supporters not to act based on emotions.
“For now, the APC is still examining the books, and by the time we spread our sheet, we’ll be able to get back to the public and listen to what our own opinion and what decisions we want to take,” he said.
“But the take-home is that they should be calm.”
Oyebamiji also appealed to Adeleke to caution his supporters against violence, warning that any unrest would ultimately affect ordinary residents.
“I want to advise the governor too that it’s important for him to talk to his people. Violence is against our people. It’s not too good, and he needs to talk to them so that each and every one of us can be on the same page,” he said.
He further disclosed that some APC members were attacked in his hometown, Ikire, on Friday morning. According to him, about four or five people were involved in the incident.
“It was at this morning in my own village, Ikire. Some were attacked. About four or five people were attacked. We have informed the security operatives accordingly,” Oyebamiji said.
The former Commissioner, however, declined to comment further on the incident.
The August 16 election saw Adeleke secure 511,067 votes against Oyebamiji’s 444,815 votes. Adeleke won in 19 of Osun’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji secured victory in 11.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished third with 17,180 votes.
The Independent National Electoral Commission’s State Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, declared Adeleke the winner on Sunday.
Following the result, President Tinubu congratulated Adeleke, describing his victory as a reflection of the will of the people and an indication that democracy remained strong in Nigeria.
Tinubu also urged the governor to use his victory to unite Osun residents and concentrate on the development of the state.