Osun State The governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, on Wednesday received his Certificate of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), formally confirming his re-election for a second term, with the governor using the occasion to unveil a N500 million fund for victims of electoral violence in the state.
The certificate was presented to Adeleke by the INEC National Commissioner overseeing the South West and currently overseeing electoral activities in Ogun, Ondo and Osun States, Professor Kunle Ajayi, shortly after the Deputy Governor, Prince Kola Adewusi, received his own Certificate of Return.
Adeleke, who defeated his closest rival, All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, in the August 15 gubernatorial election, said the certificate represented not only an electoral victory but a renewed contract with the people of Osun State.
However, instead of insisting on victory, the governor devoted a significant portion of his remarks to the need to heal the wounds that emerged from the elections, announcing the establishment of a N500 million Electoral Violence Victims Endowment Fund to support verified victims and families affected by politically motivated violence.
He also announced that the Adeleke family, through the Springtime Development Foundation, will provide full scholarships up to the university level for the children and dependents of those who lost their lives during political violence.
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Adeleke said the state government would establish a Verification and Relief Committee, headed by the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Adewale Olumide Egbedun, to identify genuine victims and ensure transparent and equitable distribution of assistance.
He stressed that the intervention would be devoid of political considerations, ensuring that no eligible victim would be excluded based on political affiliation, religion, ethnicity, gender or social status.
The governor specifically remembered Ezekiel Olapade, Aderogba Ajayi, Remi Abass, Kolade Eluyera and other victims of electoral violence, saying their deaths should not be reduced to mere statistics.
“No election, political office or ambition is worth the life of a single citizen,” Adeleke said, adding that families who had lost loved ones to political violence deserved the collective sympathy and support of the State.
He described the intervention against electoral violence as a humanitarian responsibility rather than a political intervention, declaring that “in pain, there is no political party” and that the people of Osun remained united by their common humanity.
The governor also extended an olive branch to his political opponents, calling on those who voted against him to join his administration to move the state forward.
“The elections are over. The campaign is over. The contest is over. Now is the time to govern, unite, heal and build,” he said.
Adeleke vowed to remain a governor for all residents of Osun State, regardless of how they voted, while pledging renewed focus on infrastructure, healthcare, education, worker welfare, youth empowerment and economic development.
He said the renewed mandate would require him to work harder, listen more and do more for the people, declaring that the State must now move beyond the politics of elections towards reconciliation and development.
The presentation of the Certificate of Return came after Adeleke’s victory in the August 15 elections, in which he obtained 511,067 votes compared to Oyebamiji’s 444,815, according to the results reported after the elections.
Concluding her speech, Adeleke stated that the occasion should be viewed with gratitude for the electoral victory but also with sobriety for the lives lost during the political contest.
“Today we are grateful for the victory, but sober in memory. Tomorrow we return to work,” declared the governor.
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