Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has intensified efforts to promote political reconciliation and unity in the state, reaching out to former governors and key political actors following the August 15 governorship election.

The governor’s spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, said Adeleke used the 35th anniversary of the creation of Osun State to engage former Governor and former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, as part of efforts to restore political interaction and foster peace among the state’s political leaders.

Rasheed, in a statement on Friday, said the governor also spoke with former governors Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Rauf Aregbesola, during which he congratulated them on the anniversary of the state and explained his commitment to reconciling political groups across Osun.

According to him, Adeleke also placed telephone calls to former Governor Gboyega Oyetola and the APC governorship candidate in the recent election, Mr Bola Oyebamiji, although there was no response to the calls as of the time of filing the report.

The governor, according to the statement, briefed the former leaders on his reconciliation initiatives and appealed to political stakeholders to support a post-election peace agenda aimed at healing the divisions created by the electoral contest and pre-election violence.

Adeleke said his administration was committed to ensuring that the outcome of the election did not permanently divide the people of the state.

He said: “We are celebrating the 35th anniversary of the creation of our dear state. So, it is customary that I felicitate with leaders from various groups. I commended them for their contributions to state developments.

“Then, my central message is to preach and act for peace and reconciliation. I repeated my earlier statement that there is no victor, no vanquished. Election has come and gone and it is time for us to return to governance and healing of electoral wounds.

“I am conscious of the request of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that I should champion peace building and state reconciliation. That is my preoccupation as reflected in my state address and that is my appeal to my predecessors and even my fellow contestants in the last guber election.

“We must unite our people and prepare an enabling environment for them to enjoy the dividends of democracy and continuous delivery of good governance.

“I will not stop in my peace drive to sustain development. This is a sacred task I am passionately committed to.”

The governor’s latest engagements are part of his broader post-election efforts to ease political tensions and encourage stakeholders across party lines to work together for the development of Osun State.