The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has congratulated Governor Ademola Adeleke on his victory in the Saturday governorship election in Osun, describing the outcome as a significant win for the entire state.

This is contained in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by the IPAC national chairman, Yusuf Dantalle.

He noted that the peaceful election reflected the true will of the people.

“It is a victory for democracy and the rule of law, demonstrating the people’s resolve to defend their constitutional rights,” he said, highly commending the voters for showing absolute democratic resilience.

Mr Dantalle also congratulated Accord and the people of Osun for their unwavering commitment to constitutional governance despite the alleged harsh political harassment, widespread intimidation, strategic unlawful arrests and reported killings.

“The victory of Accord in this election is sweet music to all lovers of democracy in Nigeria and demonstrates citizens’ resolve against anti-democratic forces,” Mr Dantalle added.

He said the outcome demonstrated what could happen when citizens resisted attempts to impose unpopular candidates on them and cause political upheavals capable of scuttling the nation’s entire democratic transition journey.

“As the umbrella body of registered political parties, IPAC strongly condemns political violence and interference ahead of the Osun governorship election,” he stated while reviewing security challenges before the crucial weekend polls.

He said IPAC had demanded a free, fair, credible, transparent and inclusive election, emphasising that the courageous people had spoken directly through their votes to choose their next executive governor.

“Today, the people of Osun have spoken with their votes and chosen their governor. This is democracy in action,” Dantalle emphasised while firmly advising everyone to maintain public peace.

The chairman highly commended INEC, security agencies, civil society groups, domestic observers and the international community for fully supporting the successful conduct of the election across all the local government areas of Osun.

“IPAC will continue contributing to an enabling environment for successful elections in Nigeria, while working to strengthen electoral integrity and public confidence,” Mr Dantalle said.

He said the council remained committed to restoring electoral integrity and rebuilding public trust in Nigeria’s democratic system through strategic collective efforts and continuous positive engagement with all political actors.

According to him, the sweet victory reflected the people of Osun’s democratic choice and their unwavering commitment to constitutional governance across the entire nation as they march forward into a much brighter future. 

(NAN)