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Osun: PDP To Strike Deal With Omisore, Others

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There were indications in Abuja on Sunday that the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party might strike a deal with a former Deputy Governor of Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore, in a bid to win the state rerun governorship election slated for Thursday, investigations by our correspondent have revealed.

Omisore is the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party in the election in which the candidate of the PDP, Senator Ademola Adeleke, came first with 254, 698 votes while the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Gboyega Oyetola, came second with 254,345 votes.

The Independent National Electoral Commission has, however, said there would be rerun in some polling units where elections were cancelled.

The units, which were listed by the commission, are two in Orolu Local Government Area, one in Ife South Local Government Area, one in Ife North Local Government Area and one in Osogbo Local Government Area.

It was gathered that the PDP had already initiated discussions with Omisore towards winning the two units in his stronghold of Ife.

Apart from Omisore, the PDP was said to be planning to meet with candidates of other political parties that had what a source described as a “worthy outing” during the election on Saturday.

Such candidates, it was gathered, are African Democratic Congress’ Fatai Akinbade and Action Democratic Party’s Alhaji Moshood Adeoti.

Already, it was gathered that a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, had spoken with Omisore on the need for the latter to support the PDP candidate in the rerun.

Fani-Kayode, who is also from Ile Ife like the former deputy governor, confirmed that he had spoken with both Omisore and Adeleke on the issue.

The former minister told our correspondent that there was a need for the parties to come together and “bury the ruling party in the state on Thursday.”

He said, “Yes, it is true that I have spoken with my brother, Senator Omisore, and our (PDP) candidate, Senator Adeleke, on the issue.

“I can tell you confidently that both of them are receptive to the idea and I can tell you that we are going to meet together to discuss working relationship before Thursday.

“We are not talking about any condition. We are doing all these for the love of our party and our people. We need to liberate the state from the vultures and invaders of our commonwealth. By the grace of God, we shall do it.”

It was gathered that a former Governor of the state, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, would be involved in a discussion with Akinbade.

Oyinlola, it was learnt, would prevail on Akinbade, who served as the secretary to the state government while the former military administrator was the governor of the state, to support the deal.

Besides that, it was also learnt that the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, would personally speak with Akinbade, who was also a former state chairman of the PDP while Secondus was also chairman of the former ruling party in Rivers State.

Top sources in the PDP confided in our correspondent that the President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki, who also heads the party’s 85-member governorship campaign council in the state, would be involved in the negotiations.

It was generally believed that Saraki’s efforts at bringing the runner-up in the party’s governorship primary in the state, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, with Adeleke, helped the party on Saturday.

The source said, “We will involve Saraki in our meetings with these men. We cannot afford to lose the election in the state.

“Then, don’t forget that we have a working relationship with all the opposition political parties under the umbrella called Coalition of United Political Parties. We will invoke the spirit behind that.”

Secondus, who also spoke with our correspondent on the matter, appealed to the aspirants to cooperate with the PDP to “rescue the nation, starting from Osun State, from the grip of a party that is not sensitive to the plight of the citizens.”

BIG STORY

Nigerian-American Oye Owolewa Re-Elected To US Congress

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Oye Owolewa, a Nigerian-American Democrat, has been re-elected as the shadow representative for the District of Columbia (DC).

Owolewa, a PhD graduate from Northeastern University in Boston, made history in November 2020 when he became the first Nigerian-American elected to Congress.

He secured 164,026 votes, or 82.84 percent of the total votes cast in DC.

His role, while not officially recognized by the US government as a full member of Congress, is to advocate for the district’s interests, particularly its bid for statehood.

On Thursday, Owolewa expressed his gratitude to DC voters via a post on X, thanking them for their continued support.

“Thank you DC again for giving me chance to serve. I also want to thank the organizations that have supported, partnered with and endorsed me,” he wrote.

While shadow representatives like Owolewa do not have voting power in the US House of Representatives, they play a key role in pushing for recognition and state-level advocacy for DC residents, who are otherwise disenfranchised at the federal level.

Owolewa has consistently championed the cause of DC statehood, which has become a central focus of his work.

The re-election took place on November 5, the same day as the US presidential election.

In that election, former President Donald Trump defeated Vice-President Kamala Harris, securing over 270 electoral votes to win a second term.

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BIG STORY

Joe Biden Urges Americans To Accept Trump’s Victory, Promises Peaceful Transition

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United States President Joe Biden has urged Americans to accept the victory of Republican Party candidate Donald Trump in the presidential election.

On November 6, Trump won the presidential election after surpassing the magic number of 270 electoral college votes.

Trump defeated Kamala Harris of the Democratic Party, who received 219 electoral college votes.

Harris has congratulated Trump on his electoral victory.

During a speech on Thursday at the White House Rose Garden, Biden said, “We accept the choice the country made.”

“I know for some people, it’s time for victory to state the obvious. For others, it’s a time of loss,” the US president said.

“Campaigns are contests of competing visions. The country chooses one or the other.

“I’ve said many times, you can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t love your neighbour only when you agree.

“I will do my duty as president. I’ll fulfil my oath and honour the Constitution. On January 20, we will have a peaceful transfer of power here in America.

“Remember, defeat does not mean we are defeated. We lost this battle. The America of your dream is calling for you to get back up.

“The America experiment endures. We are going to be okay, but we need to stay engaged. We need to keep going. Above all, we need to keep the faith.”

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BIG STORY

Donald Trump Defeats Kamala Harris To Win US Presidential Election

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Republican candidate Donald Trump has won the United States presidential election, surpassing the crucial 270 electoral college votes needed for victory.

With Wisconsin now secured, Trump has reached 276 electoral college votes, clearing the threshold required to claim the White House.

Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, who currently holds 219 electoral college votes, is preparing her concession speech, which will be delivered shortly.

Trump successfully flipped several blue states to red and defeated Harris in key battleground states.

The Republican candidate is making a return to the White House after serving as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.

“This was a movement like nobody has ever seen before. We overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible,” Trump said just before the networks declared him the winner.

“Everyday, I will be fighting for you with every breath in my body. I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that our children deserve. This will truly be the golden age of America.”

“We are going to help our country heal. We have a country that needs help, and it needs help very badly. We are gonna fix our borders, we are gonna fix everything about our country. We made history for a reason tonight.”

Trump based his campaign on issues such as immigration, the economy, and border security, frequently criticizing the Democratic Party as being “weak” on these fronts.

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