Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has described his victory in the just-concluded governorship election as a victory for democracy and the people of the state.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Adeleke the winner of the keenly contested election on Sunday.

Speaking shortly after the declaration, the governor expressed gratitude to God and the people of Osun State for supporting his administration.

“I feel great. First of all, I thank God Almighty for what has happened today. It’s a victory for democracy in Nigeria. A victory for Osun people that stood by me and said, Imole, you have done a lot for us,” Adeleke said.

He said the people’s support was an acknowledgement of his administration’s achievements in infrastructure, education and agriculture, among other areas.

“You have given us dividend of democracy in terms of infrastructure, improving our education, agriculture, and so forth. So this is for Osun people saying, thank you, Mr Governor,” he added.

Adeleke won in 19 of the 30 local government areas in the state.

He polled 511,067 votes to defeat his closest opponent, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who secured 444,815 votes.