The African Democratic Congress candidate in the Osun State governorship election, Najeem Salaam, has congratulated Governor Ademola Adeleke on his re-election, saying the outcome showed that democracy had prevailed and that the will of the people must be respected.

In a congratulatory message personally signed and made available to journalists in Osogbo on Sunday, Salaam said the choice of the people must prevail at the end of the day.

He noted that every democratic process throws up choices, contestation and differing views, but stressed that what matters most is that citizens are given the opportunity to decide, and that having exercised that right, their decision deserves respect and support.

The former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly described the result as a reminder that every contest produces a winner. Drawing on the Yoruba concept of Omoluabi, a person of good character and communal responsibility, he said politics should never be treated as a do-or-die affair and that political differences must not become grounds for threatening peace, unity or brotherhood among Osun residents.

Salaam also used the message to counsel the governor ahead of his second term, urging him to treat the renewed mandate as an opportunity for introspection.

He said Adeleke should reflect on areas where his administration may have fallen short, work to improve them, and build on the gains already recorded, adding that governance is a continuous process requiring regular reflection, correction and improvement.

He rounded off the statement by describing Osun as belonging to all its residents regardless of party lines, saying the collective responsibility of leaders and citizens alike is to build a state where every person can live with dignity, security and hope for the future.

He wished Adeleke a second term marked by greater development, peace and prosperity, closing with the line that politics is not a do-or-die affair, that the people have spoken, and that democracy has prevailed.

Salaam's concession comes after INEC declared Adeleke winner in the early hours of Sunday, with the governor polling 511,067 votes against 444,815 for his closest rival, Bola Oyebamiji of the APC.

Salaam himself finished third with 17,180 votes, trailing both leading candidates by a wide margin, though he was Adeleke's most prominent opposition figure from within the broader anti-APC coalition that had rallied behind the governor's re-election bid.

His message adds to a wave of congratulatory statements that followed the declaration, including from ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, NDC figures Rabiu Kwankwaso and Peter Obi, and President Bola Tinubu, all of whom framed the Osun outcome, in different ways, as an affirmation of Nigeria's democratic process.

Salaam's own remarks stood out for their conciliatory tone toward Adeleke, contrasting with sharper reactions from other opposition-aligned voices in the days following the poll.