Osun Poll: People’s Votes More Than Powerful Political Muscle –Ewenla
…As PDP Chieftain hails voters’ resolve as Adeleke maintains lead in emerging results
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Southwest, Prince Amb. (Dr.) Adedipe Dauda Ewenla, has commended the people of Osun State for what he described as their determination to exercise their democratic rights during the governorship election.
Ewenla, in a statement, said the outcome of the election had demonstrated that political influence and the presence of prominent political figures could not substitute for the choice of voters at the polling units.
He noted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) deployed several political heavyweights to the state during the campaign, including governors, federal lawmakers, national party officials and other prominent political mobilisers.
According to him, despite the presence of the political figures and the extensive campaign machinery deployed by the APC, voters ultimately exercised their franchise based on their individual choices.
He said the development reaffirmed the importance of the ballot in a democratic system.
Ewenla also referred to emerging results from the election, which he said had placed Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party in a strong position as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) continued its collation process.
He, however, called for patience until the commission completes the process and makes the official declaration.
He said the outstanding results would only affect the final margin if the number of valid votes yet to be collated was insufficient to overturn the existing lead.
The PDP chieftain urged all political parties and their supporters to respect the electoral process, avoid premature declarations and allow INEC to conclude the collation in accordance with the law.
Ewenla congratulated Adeleke on his reported performance while stressing that the final outcome remained subject to the official declaration by INEC.
He said the Osun election had once again demonstrated that governors, senators, political leaders, celebrities and campaign structures could not vote on behalf of the electorate.
According to him, “the voter remains the final political authority at the polling unit,” adding that the election had provided another lesson on the power of the people in a democracy.
He called on stakeholders to respect the final result once officially declared, saying the process should be guided by the votes cast, the law and the decision of INEC.
“Osun has demonstrated that no amount of political influence can replace the sovereign will of the electorate. Let INEC complete the process and let the people’s votes determine the outcome,” he said.
