Governor Ademola Adeleke has received his Certificate of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission following his victory in the Osun State governorship election.

Adeleke was declared winner after polling 511,067 votes, defeating the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes.

Speaking after receiving the certificate on Wednesday, Adeleke said the victory belonged to the people of Osun State and pledged to support victims of violence recorded before and during the election.

He announced that the Osun State Government would establish a ₦500 million election violence victims endowment fund to provide assistance to verified victims and affected families.

A verification and relief committee, chaired by the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, will oversee the identification of victims and distribution of support.

Adeleke also said his family, through the Springtime Development Foundation, would provide scholarships up to university level for children and dependants of people who lost their lives in election-related violence.

Meanwhile, gunshots were reported near the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo shortly after Adeleke’s visit to the monarch.

Although the governor’s Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, initially said there was no casualty, the Osun State Police Command later confirmed that a 60-year-old resident, Tajudeen Yusuf, was shot dead during the ensuing violence.

According to the police, the incident followed a confrontation after a suspected thug, Adebayo Taoreed, popularly known as “Small Rugged”, allegedly attempted to gain access to Afrobeats singer Davido, who had accompanied his uncle to the palace.

The police said the confrontation attracted suspected gang members and temporarily obstructed the governor’s convoy before it eventually left the area safely.

Police said Yusuf was later shot at Itaolokan, Osogbo, and died at the Osun State University Teaching Hospital after being taken there for treatment.

The command said it had launched a full investigation and was working to apprehend those responsible for the killing.

The incident also prompted Davido to clarify that the violence was not connected to him or the governor, saying it was a fight outside the palace.