Pelumi Olajengbesi, the spokesman for the Ademola Adeleke Campaign Organisation, Imole Campaign Council, speaks with Ademu Idakwo about the conditions under which his party and its candidate would accept the outcome of today’s governorship election in Osun State.
As a major contender in this election, how do you assess the Accord Party’s chances of winning on Saturday?
Accord is winning the election. We are very certain about this. The Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has performed exceptionally well. The Governor’s way of life reflects that of the people; he has a good relationship with them, and the people are interested in voting for him.
We can see clearly that the APC is desperate. They are making every effort to intimidate and harass people, creating an atmosphere of insecurity that would make people want to stay away from the election. But we are very, very certain that this election is ours to win.
What feedback are you getting from voters across the state, and how do you think it will translate into votes?
The feedback has been very positive. When we commenced this campaign, the people of Osun State took ownership and launched it statewide.
The good thing about Osun State is that Governor Ademola Adeleke has worked in virtually every sector and district, making his performance highly visible to the people of the state.
What, in your view, are the key issues influencing the choices of Osun voters in this election?
It is also very, very easy for us because the immediate past administration performed very poorly. His performance was really bad. He was grossly incompetent as Governor, unable to pay salaries, unable to address the people’s key welfare needs, and with no major projects.
But this administration, under the leadership of Ademola Adeleke, has executed projects in Iwo, Ila and Ife, as well as major projects in Osogbo and many other places across the state. All the big cities have been properly urbanised.
This government has, I mean, what do you call it, constructed over 300 kilometres of road across the state. The government has addressed issues in the health sector, revamped the primary healthcare sector and all of that. So, the government has done very well. And you know the interesting thing about this government is that before it came on board, the major crisis we were facing as a state was the issue of salaries.
The government came on board, paid outstanding salaries, introduced a health insurance scheme for workers and retirees, and settled outstanding pensions and other obligations. This shows the government is placing great emphasis on the welfare of the people of Osun State. These are the key issues influencing Governor Ademola Adeleke’s chances.
Number one, he is very popular. He is loved by the people and loved on the streets. All the key stakeholders in Osun State want him and are supporting him. Again, one factor helping us is that the APC candidate is unpopular.
If you look at the current situation in the APC today, the party is deeply and seriously fragmented and divided. The reason is that only a fraction of the party supports the candidate, namely, a fraction of the former governor who lost the election to Governor Ademola Adeleke.
How would you rate the preparedness of the electoral umpire and the security agencies for the governorship poll?
Well, I am concerned about INEC’s preparedness because, ordinarily, by now, sensitive materials for the election should be available.
We just received a report today stating that they are not yet available, which is inconsistent with INEC guidelines. In any case, we trust that INEC will make every effort to ensure the election is credible and fair. However, we do not believe this election will be conducted on a level playing field.
