APC accepts Osun West By-Elections results

The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Osun State has accepted defeat in Saturday’s senatorial election and congratulated the winner.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate, Ademola Adeleke, defeated ‎the APC’s Mudashiru Hussein by over 30,000 votes to win the Osun West Senatorial bye-election.

In his reaction to the result, ‎‎ the Osun APC chairman, Gboyega Famorodun, congratulated Mr. Adeleke, saying his election was the voice of the people speaking “loud and clear.”

In a statement on Sunday in Osogbo, Mr. Famorodun said his party has learnt its lessons from the election and would come out stronger in the coming elections.

“We congratulate the people of the 10 local governments that participated in the election for their peaceful conduct and on the choice they have made,” he said.

“We equally commend the APC-led federal and state governments for ensuring peaceful, free and fair election.

“We also congratulate Ademola Adeleke for his victory and we hope that now that the election is behind us, he will put partisan politics aside to represent the interest of the entire people of his constituency.

“Although the outcome is contrary to our expectation, the people have spoken and we heard their voice loud and clear. As democrats, we respect their choice.”

‎DISAGREEMENT

In his reaction, the Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State, Abayomi Adesanya, attributed the failure of his party to win the Osun election to lack of internal democracy and imposition of candidate.

Mr. Adesanya, who spoke in Akure on Sunday, said the party was defeated because party leaders failed to respect the will of the people.

“It is corruption and against the tenets of democracy to impose the will of a few individuals on the collective will of the majority,” he said.

“In democracy, leaders are made when the followers freely submit their sovereignty to them, not by imposition.

“There must be mutual respect and recognition for committed and loyal party members (especially financial members) when critical decisions are to be taken.

“The party has paid dearly for all these in both elections and governance.”

Mr. Adsanya’s outburst against the party in neighbouring Osun is not unconnected with the politics that trailed the emergence of Rotimi Akeredolu as the APC governorship candidate in Ondo State last year.

The party in Ondo had accused its counterpart in Osun and Governor Rauf Aregbesola of backing Olusola Oke, the Alliance for Democracy, AD, candidate, during the election.

Mr. Adesanya had maintained that act was an anti-party activity that needed to be punished according to the provisions of the party’s constitution.

“Our party in the State of Osun has just paid for lack of internal democracy, mutual respect for members, and discriminatory leadership,” he said.

He further admonished state chapters of the party to always abide by the tenets of the party’s constitution in nominating candidates for elections.

“The party’s affairs should be handled maturely and decision taken should be all-inclusive,” Mr. Adesanya noted.

“That will encourage commitment and loyalty among members. Leaders must not encourage lawlessness by rewarding anti-party activities of members with appointment as we have seen recently in Osun.

“It is high time we charted a new course and embrace our party’s constitution in its entirety in the best interest of all and sundry.”

Responding to Mr. Abayomi’s statement, the spokesperson of the APC in Osun, Kunle Ayatomi, said the APC in Ondo has no knowledge of the happenings of the party in Osun.

“If they (APC Osun) have the problem of internal democracy in Ondo, we in Osun don’t have that problem,” Mr. Ayatomi said.

Source: ( Premium Times )