Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has thanked President Bola Tinubu for what he described as the Federal Government’s role in ensuring a free and fair governorship election in the state.

Adeleke made the remarks on Thursday when he visited Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja to present his Certificate of Return following his victory in the August 15 governorship election.

The governor defeated the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, and the African Democratic Congress candidate, Najeem Salaam, in the closely contested poll.

Adeleke secured 511,067 votes, while Oyebamiji polled 444,815 votes and Salaam finished third with 17,180 votes. The governor won in 19 local government areas, while Oyebamiji prevailed in 11.

Speaking with State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with the President, Adeleke praised Tinubu for what he described as his commitment to protecting Nigeria’s democracy.

“That is why I’m here to thank Mr. President, the father of the nation, because he fought for this democracy,” Adeleke said.

He added: “That is why he allowed free and fair election, and that is the result. That is why I’m here, to say thank you, to ensure that democracy lives in Nigeria.”

Adeleke arrived at the State House at about 5:20pm and proceeded to the President’s office, where he presented his Certificate of Return during the meeting.

The visit came days after Tinubu congratulated Adeleke on his re-election, describing the result as a “fitting assurance” that democracy would continue to flourish under his administration.

However, the election result remains disputed by the APC. The party’s governorship campaign committee Director-General, Oluwole Oke, said the party would not rush to congratulate Adeleke, insisting that it believed the Accord candidate did not secure the highest number of valid votes.

Despite the disagreement over the outcome, Adeleke’s visit marked a direct engagement with the President following his re-election and his formal receipt of the Certificate of Return.