Osun bye-election: PDP’s Adeleke ahead in protest vote — NAN

Mudashiru Hussain, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate may have lost the Osun West Senatorial bye-election to Mr. Ademola Adeleke, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), according to actual results declared at various collation centres in the state.
Unofficial results show that Adeleke, brother of the former holder of the seat, Isiaka Adeleke, swept the two local councils in his home town of Ede. He also won Egbedore and Ola Oluwa local councils.
Projections in other local councils also appear to show that he was coasting home to victory, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
His victory, if confirmed by the Independent National Electoral Commission, will be a big blow to Governor Rauf Aregbesola, less than two years to the end of his tenure, amid permutations for the 2018 governorship election.
An APC stalwart told NAN it may be a disastrous night for the party.
“Though collation is on, projections are not favourable for our candidate, even as we await results from some units,” the stalwart close to Governor Aregbesola said.
Adeleke had wanted to run on the APC platform to replace his brother, a member of the APC, who died on April 23. He was initially cleared for the election by the party and his opponent, Mudashir Hussain, disqualified because of the allegation that he failed to resign his commissionership position.
But the National Working Committee of the party later overturned Hussain’s disqualification and cleared him to contest in the primary election.
Adeleke, believing he would be outsmarted in the scheduled primary, defected to the Peoples Democratic Party led by Ali Modu Sheriff, to run for the seat.
In the run-up to the election today, it was clear sentiments would rule the ballots, especially as the public felt an Adeleke scion should be compensated for the sudden death of Senator Isiaka Adeleke, who was planning to run for the governorship election next year.
And then, there were what seemed to be politically instigated protests against the government by pensioners and some workers, accusing the Aregbesola government of owing them arrears of payments.
Signs of a possible failed bid by the APC candidate came in the result for his polling Unit 1, Ward 3 in Ejigbo local government.
He got 152 votes; Adeleke of PDP got 148 votes, a difference of just four votes.
Credit: News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).