Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, says a statement by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, ahead of Saturday’s governorship election as an indication that the All Progressives Congress plans to rig the poll.
Adeleke made the allegation in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, in Osogbo on Sunday.
Recall that Oyetola had on Saturday urged Adeleke to prepare for defeat in the August 15 governorship election, saying President Bola Tinubu’s endorsement would not save him.
Oyetola spoke while addressing APC stakeholders and supporters in Osun State.
The former governor, who lost his re-election bid to Adeleke in the 2022 governorship election, was responding to allegations by Adeleke that APC members and leaders of the Accord were being intimidated ahead of the poll.
Oyetola, who spoke in Yoruba, said Adeleke’s complaints showed that the governor had realised he was about to be defeated in Saturday’s election.
He said Adeleke’s endorsement of Tinubu would not stop the APC from defeating the incumbent governor.
According to Oyetola, “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.”
But Adeleke, in his reaction, described Oyetola’s comment as an “open threat” to rig the governorship election, urging democracy advocates to take note of the development.
The Governor vowed that the people of Osun State would resist any attempt to manipulate the August 15 election and demanded a free and fair poll.
The statement said Oyetola had condemned Adeleke’s endorsement of Tinubu for another term in 2027, saying in Yoruba, “A maa gba lowo e,” meaning “we will snatch it from him.”
Adeleke said his endorsement of Tinubu was an indication of his electoral strength and his ability to deliver Osun votes to the President in 2027.
He alleged that Oyetola’s activities were damaging Tinubu’s image and weakening the APC’s standing in the state.
Adeleke said, “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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
