Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has said his closest challenger in Saturday’s governorship election, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), should be the one to call and congratulate him following his victory.

Adeleke spoke in an exclusive interview with Channels Television’s *Sunday Politics*, hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him the winner of the election.

Asked whether he would reach out to Oyebamiji, the governor said it was the responsibility of the APC candidate to initiate contact if he wanted to demonstrate civility.

“I am not the one that is supposed to reach out to him now because I am the one that won the election and I have been announced. If he wants to be civilised, he is the one that is supposed to call me and say congratulations,” Adeleke said.

Despite his position, Adeleke extended a hand of fellowship to Oyebamiji, urging him to work with his administration and contribute ideas that could advance the development of the state.

“But right now, I am seizing this opportunity on national TV to extend my hands of fellowship to come on now and talk to me. If you have any ideas, talk to me, and I will put it on the table. If the idea is good, I will want to utilise it; one thing is Osun State first,” he added.

The governor also pledged to address the political divisions that characterised the election campaign, saying his administration would establish a reconciliation committee to foster unity among Osun residents.

“I will look for a reconciliation committee to unite Osun people. I will invite even our opponents; if you have any idea, bring it to the table so that we could join hands together and make Osun great,” Adeleke said.

The Returning Officer for the election, Joshua Ogunwole, declared Adeleke the winner at the INEC Collation Centre in Osogbo in the early hours of Sunday.

Adeleke, who contested on the platform of the Accord Party, polled 511,067 votes to defeat Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, came third with 17,180 votes.

The governor won in 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji secured victory in 11.

The result earned Adeleke another four-year term after he was first elected governor in 2022 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

His re-election followed months of intense campaigning, political tension and violence across the state, with 15 political parties participating in the election.

As of the time of filing this report, Oyebamiji had yet to congratulate Adeleke on his victory.

The Osun APC said it was studying the results from the governorship election across the state’s 332 wards before deciding on its next course of action.

The party said the election could not be considered concluded without exploring all constitutionally permitted legal options under the Electoral Act 2026, as amended.