Abayomi Susan
Former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adejare Bello, has urged candidates who lose the ongoing governorship election to accept the outcome in good faith, provided the process remains transparent and credible.
Bello made the appeal while speaking to journalists during the election, describing the voting process in his area as smooth and peaceful.
According to him, there had been no reports of chaos or other untoward incidents at the polling units he monitored. He expressed hope that the peaceful atmosphere would continue until the conclusion of voting.
Bello said adequate arrangements had also been made in his ward, particularly at polling units 3, 4 and 13, to safeguard the exercise and prevent disruptions such as ballot box snatching, voter intimidation and other forms of electoral malpractice.
He also observed a high voter turnout in his area, noting that the location was the hometown of the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke.
As the election progresses toward the declaration of a winner, Bello appealed to all candidates to demonstrate political maturity and respect the outcome of the process.
He urged the eventual winner to be magnanimous in victory while encouraging those who lose to accept defeat if the election is conducted transparently.
Bello also cautioned against prolonged legal battles over the election, arguing that unnecessary litigation could impose additional costs without necessarily resolving the underlying issues.
He stressed, however, that his call for acceptance of the results was dependent on the transparency and credibility of the electoral process.
His comments come as stakeholders continue to monitor the Osun governorship election and call for a peaceful and credible conclusion to the exercise.
