Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke
Osun State Governor and candidate of the Accord Party, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has expressed confidence in his chances of winning the ongoing governorship election, saying he has the support of the people and God.
He spoke shortly after casting his ballot at Polling Unit 09, Ward 02, Sagba in Ede North Local Government Area of the state, at about 8:33 a.m. on Saturday.
The governor, who arrived at the polling unit at about 8:30 a.m. amid a crowd of supporters, completed the accreditation process before voting.
He described the voting process in his area as peaceful, but raised allegations of attempts to disrupt voting in some parts of the state.
“I’ve done my civic duty. I’ve voted. And as of now, things are going on peacefully, and I hope it stays that way,” Adeleke said.
He, however, alleged that a police officer allegedly brought from Port Harcourt, with the nickname “London”, was in Ede with an intention to cause violence and scare voters away from polling units.
The governor called on the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, and other security agencies to investigate the allegation and, if necessary, redeploy the officer.
“His job is to come and destroy Ede, and then leave, so that he can scare people by shooting so that they will not vote,” he alleged.
Adeleke also urged security agencies to remain neutral throughout the election, saying the process should be allowed to proceed without intimidation or violence.
He also alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was planning to manipulate the election through the use of fake ballot papers, urging residents to remain vigilant.
“I have it on authority that the APC are trying to rig and have some fake ballot papers. I want Osun people to watch out for that. We will not accept that in Osun,” he said.
The governor also raised concerns over the collation process, insisting that results should be collated sequentially from the polling unit to the ward and local government before the state level.
“And the pattern of voting should be from Unit to Ward, and to Local Government. Not that they will take Local Government collation straight to the State Capital. That is unacceptable. That’s a form of rigging,” he said.
Adeleke also alleged that voters in Modakeke and Obaagun had encountered disruptions, claiming that security personnel used tear gas to disperse voters.
He also alleged that thugs had made away with a ballot box in one of the areas.
The governor appealed to security agencies to act swiftly on reports of violence and ensure that voters were allowed to exercise their franchise without intimidation.
“Let the security agencies please be neutral and watch it,” he said.
Despite the concerns, Adeleke expressed optimism that the election would remain peaceful and credible, saying voters should remain at their polling units and observe the process in accordance with the guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He said the election provided the people of Osun with an opportunity to determine who would govern the state for the next four years.
“But I can assure you, at the end of the day, I have God on my side, and I have my people on my side. I will win this election,” Adeleke declared.
The Guardian
