Osun @35 : Adeleke extends hand of fellowship to his predecessors

Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has extended a hand of fellowship to his predecessor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, and the APC governorship candidate, Mr Bola Oyebamiji, as part of moves to reconcile political actors after the last governorship election in Osun State.

The outreach came as the governor marked the 35th anniversary of Osun’s creation with consultations with elder statesmen in the state.

According to a statement by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, the governor also spoke with former Governors Chief Bisi Akande, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

The statement, however, claimed that calls to Oyetola and Oyebamiji by the governor were not responded to.

Governor Adeleke said the calls to the APC leaders were in line with his commitment to peace-building following the divisive pre-election violence.

“We are celebrating the 35th anniversary of the creation of our dear state. So, it is customary that I felicitate with leaders from various groups. I commended them for their contributions to state development,” the governor said.

He noted that his central message to all the leaders was peace and reconciliation.

“My central message is to preach and act for peace and reconciliation. I repeated my earlier statement that there is no victor, no vanquished. Election has come and gone, and it is time for us to return to governance and healing of electoral wounds,” he said.

The governor told Chief Akande, a former APC National Chairman, of the need to restore elite interaction and consensus among political leaders in the state.

He also briefed the former governors on his ongoing peace initiatives.

Governor Adeleke said he was responding to President Bola Tinubu’s charge for him to champion peace-building in the state.

“I am conscious of the request of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that I should champion peace-building and state reconciliation. That is my preoccupation as reflected in my state address, and that is my appeal to my predecessors and even my fellow contestants in the last guber election,” he said.

He added that uniting the people was necessary to create an enabling environment for delivery of good governance.

“We must unite our people and prepare an enabling environment for them to enjoy the dividends of democracy and continuous delivery of good governance. I will not stop in my peace drive to sustain development. This is a sacred task I am passionately committed to,” the governor said.