Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has accused the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, of making comments which he said could be interpreted as an indication of plans by the All Progressives Congress, APC, to manipulate Saturday’s governorship election in the state.
Adeleke raised the allegation in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, and made available to journalists in Osogbo on Sunday.
The governor’s reaction came after comments made by Oyetola on Saturday while addressing APC stakeholders and supporters in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
Oyetola, a former governor of Osun State, who lost his bid for a second term to Adeleke in the 2022 governorship election, had urged the incumbent governor to brace himself for defeat in the forthcoming poll.
The minister also declared that Adeleke’s decision to endorse President Bola Tinubu for a second term in the 2027 presidential election would not stop the APC from reclaiming control of Osun State.
Oyetola was responding to allegations earlier made by Adeleke that members of the APC, as well as leaders of the Accord Party, were being subjected to intimidation ahead of the election.
Speaking in Yoruba, Oyetola suggested that the complaints being raised by Adeleke were an indication that the governor was aware that his political influence in the state was gradually weakening.
He maintained that Adeleke’s endorsement of President Tinubu would not guarantee his continued occupation of the Osun State Government House.
“They realised that they are already losing out. Then they claimed to have endorsed us. He almost cried. Endorsement cannot retain this seat for you. We are taking it over.
“If you like, make 10 endorsements, we will collect this one from you,” Oyetola said.
Reacting to the statement, Adeleke described Oyetola’s remarks as an “open threat” to the credibility and integrity of the forthcoming election, urging democracy advocates and other stakeholders to pay close attention to the development.
The governor also appealed for a transparent, free and credible electoral process, insisting that the people of Osun State must be given the opportunity to freely choose the person they want to govern them.
According to Adeleke, Oyetola’s statement, particularly the Yoruba expression “A maa gba lowo e,” which translates to “we will snatch it from him,” amounted to an indication that the APC was preparing to interfere with or undermine the electoral process.
Adeleke argued that his decision to endorse Tinubu for a second term in 2027 was evidence of his political strength and his confidence in his ability to mobilise substantial support for the President across Osun State.
The governor further accused Oyetola of damaging the political image of President Tinubu through actions which, according to him, could further weaken the popularity of the APC among residents and voters in the state.
“Oyetola’s anti-people, anti-democracy activities are tarnishing the image of Mr President and deepening the unpopularity of Osun APC among voters and residents,” Adeleke said.
He added that the statement from Oyetola, who currently serves as a minister in the Federal Government, was particularly disturbing because it amounted to an alarming comment concerning the conduct of a free and fair election.
“A serving minister of the Republic had made an open threat against a free and fair election. The minister has personally confirmed all previous reports that Osun APC has lost the electoral confidence of the people and is therefore focused only on rigging next Saturday,” he stated.
Adeleke also accused the minister of making light of alleged incidents involving members and supporters of the Accord Party who were reportedly attacked during the election period.
“The minister has made a mockery of innocent Accord members who were killed and maimed by APC thugs in cold blood in the last two months. He has told the world that he is pushing to deny the people their rights to vote and be voted for,” he alleged.
Despite the allegations, the governor expressed confidence that the electorate in Osun State would resist any attempt to interfere with the electoral process or prevent voters from exercising their constitutional rights.
“The bad news for the minister is that Osun people are determined to resist his sadistic agenda. Our people rejected him in 2022, and they will reject his surrogate candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, next Saturday,” he said.
Adeleke further maintained that he remained confident of securing victory at the August 15 election, attributing his optimism to what he described as the widespread support and acceptance his administration enjoys among voters across the state.
“As for us, we are winning this election by the grace of God and mass support of the people. We are not going to snatch the democratic rights of the people as Mr Oyetola had threatened. We will be re-elected by the choice of the voters,” he stated.
0 Comments