Former Senate President Bukola Saraki on Sunday described the victory of his party’s governorship candidate in Osun Ademola Adeleke as the reclaiming of the party’s “stolen mandate”.
In a statement released on social media, Saraki stressed that after the party’s loss in 2018, Adeleke demonstrated leadership by working to build stronger coalition across the state and the nation in order to ensure that the PDP remained the most popular party in the state and emerged victorious four years later.
Saraki also described Adeleke as the “leader that Osun needs at this crucial time,” while also commending the work of the PDP’s polling unit agents who worked to ensure that every vote was counted and that results from all polling units were uploaded to the INEC election portal in line with the new Electoral Act guidelines.
“We have watched, as the people of this great state have reclaimed their mandate and the mandate of my dear friend and brother, Sen. Ademola Adeleke, the PDP Governorship candidate, which was surreptitiously stolen at the polls exactly 4 years ago,” he said.
“With everything that we have all witnessed here in Osun State, one lesson remains clear: the people of Nigeria want better. They want lives that are not hampered by the rising cost of living, the flailing economy, and insecurity. They want a conscientious government — one that works for and represents the best interests of themselves, their families, and their communities.
“Make no mistake, this victory was not easily attained. It is the culmination of the sacrifice and hard work of our party leaders, stakeholders, and leaders, who all played specific roles to ensure that this time around, our party’s mandate has been protected, and our candidate has now emerged victorious.”
Saraki noted that he is optimistic that the PDP is well-positioned to win big in 2023.
“With this winning strategy, moving forward, our objective is clear: Together, we must fix Nigeria, rescue it from the failures of the past 7 years, and work to elect our former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as the next President of Nigeria,” he said.
