By MOROMOKE AKANJI

Afrobeat singer, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has said he knew his uncle, Gov. Ademola Adeleke of Osun, would win Saturday’s governorship election but feared that the election might be rigged.

Davido said this while addressing a news conference on Tuesday in Ede, his hometown.

The singer said the election was a hard-fought battle for his uncle, adding that the people’s love and support for the governor helped him overcome intimidation before and during the election.

“They worked against him with vote-buying and intimidation, but he won.

“Someone called me before the election and said it would take only a miracle for us to win, but we eventually won,” he said.

Davido said the governor should serve as an example to other public officials in the country by delivering good governance to the people.

“This victory is a lesson that if you work well for the people, they will work for you, no matter what,” he said.

The singer also thanked the electorate for their support for the governor.

“To the Osun people who voted for us and defended their votes from the polling units all the way to the local government collation centres, I thank you.

“I really want to thank the Osun people for standing by the Adeleke family and making sure we were re-elected,” he said.

Davido said the governor had several plans for the development of the state, particularly in the area of sports.

He said that as Chairman of the Osun Sports Trust Fund, he would ensure the completion of the ongoing stadium project in the state.

“I will visit the stadium today. There are plans to also build a recreational centre for the youths, which will include a football field, swimming pools, basketball court, track and other facilities.

“Another project we are looking at is creating a concert centre, and by December, the stadium should be completed. I will hold a concert there,” he said.

He, however, said he had no future political plans in the state.

Davido said that, despite the stress and intimidation his uncle, aunt and father experienced before the election, forgiveness remained necessary for the future of the state.

I know what the whole family went through before the election, so forgiving is very hard for me, but it is something we all have to do for the future of Osun,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that INEC, in the early hours of Sunday, declared Adeleke the winner after polling 511,067 votes to defeat his closest rival, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 444,815 votes.

The INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, who declared the results at the INEC collation centre, said the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Najeem Salaam, came a distant third with 17,180 votes.

Ogunwole, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, said the total valid votes cast were 985,079, while 20,721 votes were rejected, bringing the total number of votes cast to 1,005,800. (NAN)

•Afrobeat singer, Davido

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