Shortly after his re-election for a second term, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has commended the people of the state for giving him another mandate.
On Monday, Sanwo-Olu polled 762,134 votes to win the election for a second term of four years. He defeated the Labour Party governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and Olajide Adediran of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who raked in 312,329 votes and 62,449 votes respectively.
Shortly after being declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Officer, the governor gave an acceptance speech, calling for unity in the state despite the divisive politics in the build-up to the governorship poll in Lagos.
Thank you Lagosians!
I am deeply humbled and grateful for the overwhelming support and trust of the good people of Lagos State. I am honored to be re-elected as your Governor and pledge to continue to work tirelessly to deliver a better Lagos for all.
Thank you for believing… https://t.co/ElfdPWZFze pic.twitter.com/g049GQJbp2
— Babajide Sanwo-Olu (@jidesanwoolu) March 20, 2023
A few days to the Lagos governorship election, the polity was tense with some divisive statements made on and off social media. There were also cases of violence in some parts of the state as some voters were attacked on Saturday.
But the governor said the “true Lagos spirit” is a welcoming and liberal one rather than what was demonstrated in recent weeks.
He argued that elections should be based on competence and experience rather than ethnicity or religion.