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Oyo State Governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress
(APC) in Oyo South Senatorial district in last Saturday’s elections, Senator Abiola Ajimobi has congratulated the winner of the election in the district, Dr. Kola Balogun of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The congratulatory message was conveyed in a statement issued by the Special Adviser, Communication and Strategy, Mr Bolaji Tunji.
Official results declared by INEC on Monday morning showed that while Ajimobi scored 92,218, Balogun polled 105,720 votes. The incumbent senator in the district, contesting on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) polled 49,437.
Ajimobi described the loss as unfortunate, but noted that no sacrifice is too much for a leader to make.
His words: “The results of the Oyo South Senatorial districts have been released by INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) indicating that I lost to the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) candidate. I hereby accept
the result as announced. Although there were a number of grievous
infractions and established electoral malpractices, I have decided to let go in the interest of peace. I therefore congratulate the declared winner, Hon Kola Balogun and our other Senators-elect, Abdulfatai Buhari and Teslim Folarin.
“If I lose the ticket and the party was able to gain, then it is
nothing to feel sad about. APC has done well but we can always do
better. If out of three Senatorial seats, we won two and out of 14
federal constituency seats, we picked nine, then we should
congratulate ourselves”.
The governor also expressed his appreciation to the people of Oyo state for their peaceful conduct and the large turnout for the election, saying that the people of the stae have shown their love for the APC by voting massively for
President Muhammadu Buhari and the party’s candidates in the elections, adding that from results released so far nationwide, the APC is coasting home to victory.
“We appreciate our people for coming out last Saturday which led to
APC winning two out of the three Senatorial and nine out of the 14
Federal Constituency seats in the state,” he said. “The victory has shown the
unassailable leadership of the APC in Oyo State. It has also shown
that our people are appreciative of the developmental strides of the
APC in the state and the country at large. We have taken Oyo State to
an unprecedented level in terms of massive infrastructural renewal.
Most importantly, we have ensured peace in the state”.
The Governor enjoined all APC members to gird their loins for the
March 9 governorship election saying the battle is not over yet. He stressed
that the loss of the Senatorial seat would not deter his firm resolve
and that of the APC to work for victory in the governorship election.
“To the teeming members of our party and supporters who came out in
their thousands to show their preference for the APC, I thank and urge
you to keep the faith especially as we look forward to the
governorship and the House of Assembly elections. With the impressive
results we currently have, we should proudly go forth with greater
sense of confidence and unity of purpose. Let us work together to
ensure victory for our governorship candidate, Bayo Adelabu and all
our candidates for the House” he said.