Voters will decide Osun election….. not APC political heavyweights – Adeleke

The Imole Campaign Council (TICC), the campaign organisation of Ademola Adeleke, governor of Osun, says the outcome of the governorship election will be determined by voters and not by the number of political heavyweights deployed by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The campaign council was reacting to comments by Nentawe Yilwatda, national chairman of the APC, who said the party’s governors, members of the national assembly and LGA chairmen would overwhelm Adeleke in the election, likening the contest to “a trailer versus a Keke Napep”.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Bamidele Salam, chairman of TICC’s media and publicity committee, described the analogy as a display of political arrogance and evidence that the APC leadership does not understand the political realities in Osun.

Salam said elections are decided by the people, not by the number of elected officials and political officeholders a party can assemble.

“The people of Osun state are not waiting for political heavyweights from outside the state to decide their future. The electorate are capable of making their own independent choice based on the performance of the government in power,” the statement reads.

“The APC national chairman may have assembled what he calls a political trailer, but he should understand that the people of Osun state are not political cargo to be moved around by outsiders. They are the owners of the mandate, and they alone will determine who governs them.”

The campaign council said the governorship election would be decided by Adeleke’s performance in office rather than political metaphors or the influence of external party leaders.

“The August 15 election will not be a contest between a trailer and a Keke Napep. It will be a contest between a performing governor who has earned the confidence of his people and an APC candidate who is struggling to gain acceptance among the electorate.

“The reality on the ground is that Governor Ademola Adeleke enjoys tremendous goodwill among the people of Osun state because of the visible achievements of his administration. His record in road infrastructure, healthcare, education, workers’ welfare, water supply, agriculture, youth empowerment and other critical sectors speaks directly to the people.”

Salam also noted that the APC’s reliance on prominent party figures from across the country reflected the weakness of its governorship candidate, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji.

“The APC governorship candidate, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, is obviously weak and unpopular. The decision of the APC to rely heavily on political figures from outside Osun is an indication of its candidate’s inability to independently mobilise the people,” the statement added.

“Rather than boasting about the number of governors and national assembly members being deployed to Osun, the APC should tell the people what its candidate has to offer. The people are interested in issues, performance and credible leadership, not political metaphors.”(TheCable)