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The Imole Campaign Council (TICC) has declared that no number of governors, National Assembly members or other political heavyweights mobilised by the All Progressives Congress (APC) will stop Governor Ademola Adeleke from securing re-election in the August 15 Osun governorship poll.
The council was reacting to the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda’s, “trailer versus Keke Napep” analogy, which he reportedly used to describe the party’s political strength and numerical advantage ahead of the election.
In a statement signed by the Chairman of its Media and Publicity Committee, Rep. Bamidele Salam, the council described the analogy as a demonstration of political arrogance and evidence that the APC leadership had failed to appreciate the political realities in Osun State.
According to the council, elections are determined by the electorate and not by the number of governors, lawmakers or political office holders a political party can assemble for campaigns.
“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 said.
It maintained that the people of the state alone possess the mandate to determine who governs them.
“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 further argued that the forthcoming governorship election would be decided by Governor Adeleke’s performance in office rather than political metaphors or the size of campaign entourages.
“The August 15 election will not be a contest between a trailer and a Keke Napep,” the statement said.
It argued that the election would instead be determined by the electorate’s assessment of Governor Adeleke’s record in office.
“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 council said Governor Adeleke had continued to enjoy widespread public support because of what it described as the visible achievements of his administration.
“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.”
The council also criticised the APC’s campaign strategy, saying the party’s dependence on political figures from outside the state reflected challenges in mobilising local support.
It described the APC governorship candidate, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, as “weak and unpopular,” arguing that the party’s reliance on external political figures reflected an inability to independently mobilise grassroots support.
The statement added that rather than focusing on the number of governors and National Assembly members campaigning for its candidate, the APC should present its programmes and policies to the electorate.
“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.”
The council urged the APC to conduct an issue-based campaign and respect what it described as the intelligence of the Osun electorate.
“We urge the APC to respect the intelligence of the Osun electorate and focus its campaign on issues and credible alternatives rather than relying on boasts about political structures and external mobilisation.”
The August 15 governorship election is expected to be one of Nigeria’s most keenly contested off-cycle polls, with both the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun and the opposition APC intensifying campaigns across the state in a bid to win over voters.
The exchange marks the latest in a series of verbal confrontations between the APC and the PDP ahead of the election, as both parties step up campaigns to persuade the electorate in what is expected to be one of the country’s most closely watched governorship contests.
