The Senate President, Bukola Saraki has yesterday administered the oath of office on Senator Ademola Adeleke who won the Osun senatorial seat in the recently concluded election.
The oath of office was administered by the Senate President in the chamber during yesterday’s plenary.
Adeleke, floated on the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP platform represents Osun West senatorial district following the demise of his brother, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, who died in April 2017.
Adeleke’s emergence as the senator comes after he defeated Mudashiru Hussein of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in a by-election held on Saturday, July 8 as he polled a total of 97,480 votes against his opponent who secured 66,116 votes.
Recall that Adeleke had defected from the ruling party, All Progressive Congress, APC to PDP on grounds that the APC in his state does not practise democracy.
He said: “I used to be in the PDP, but, I am back home now. My interest was in APC, but, it was when I got there, we discovered that they don’t practise democracy.”
The senate president in reaction to the swearing in took to his Facebook page to write: “I was filled with emotions today as I swore in the brother of late senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke as senator representing Osun West. I’m sure that my late friend, his family, good people of Ede and Osun West senatorial district are delighted that the legacy of ‘Guv’ can continue.
“I am sure my departed colleague will, in his grave, be happy and filled with joy today and always.
“My only sadness is that senator Ademola Adeleke is not coming in as an APC member. This is the result of mishandling of the pre-election matters by our party. I hope senator Ademola Adeleke will very soon return to his natural fold, the APC, where he rightly belongs.
“I hope this development will serve as eye opener to our party, at all levels, that the will of the people must always be respected. We all have a good lesson to learn from this.
“Once again, I congratulate senator Ademola Adeleke and I hope he will live up to his brother’s expectations and further uplift the legacy established by their late father, senator Ayoola Adeleke.”
Adeleke’s swearing in has thus increased the number of seats held by the PDP in the senate to 43 as against the 65 held by the APC.