A newly erected campaign billboard featuring both President Bola Tinubu and Governor Ademola Adeleke has sparked a wave of reactions across Osun State.
NPO reports that tThe board is said to be placed at Ward 2 in Iwo Local Government Area of Osun State with the inscription “Continuity of Progress” sponsored by a political group, ‘Osun Leaders of Thought’.
In reaction to this, the Director of Media and Information, APC, Kola Olabisi, condemned the display, describing it as a fraudulent political stunt.
“This is the absurd playing of dirty politics taken too far,” he said in a statement released on Thursday.
“There could not be any acceptable reason for the sponsorship of the fraudulent billboard,” he said.
According to the APC, the campaign was orchestrated by unnamed actors attempting to falsely link President Tinubu with the PDP-led state government.
“No matter the antics being played… the efforts to dubiously sell their unsellable political product have refused to fly,” Olabisi stated.
In response, the spokesperson to Governor Adeleke, Olawale Rasheed, accused the APC of suffering an integrity crisis and being unsettled by the governor’s growing popularity.
“The opposition is by now scrambling on what to say. The opposition is confused about the groundswell of support for Governor Adeleke across party lines,” Rasheed said.
He referenced recent achievements of the Adeleke administration, including a cultural tourism partnership at the British Museum and business linkages through the Nigeria-UK Chamber of Commerce, as sources of the APC’s unease.
He noted endorsements from both federal and non-governmental bodies as indicators of rising approval and accused the APC of spreading misinformation and being unable to contend with the realities of its declining credibility.
“The opposition is therefore running amok, ranting over billboards from non-governmental groups, displaying ignorance over investment drive and wandering over reality of its unelectability
“A governor who has done so much for his people and who enjoys so much goodwill among national leaders is unbothered by the rantings of an unelectable opposition.
“The recent attacks and vituperations by Osun All Progressives Congress (APC) against Governor Ademola Adeleke are confirmation of opposition’s identify crisis, its weakness within the Presidency and frustrations about increasing breakthroughs of the Adeleke administration
“The Osun APC is busy complaining about a successful meeting with UK Prime Minister’s trade envoy, a meeting with concrete outcomes that the trade envoy hailed as a major breakthrough. The APC is shocked that such productive investment meeting happened right inside the House of Commons.
“The opposition is confused about groundswell of support for Governor Adeleke across party lines and across local and national audience. The public at home and abroad are impressed by the huge delivery of the administration across sectors. Interestingly, the appraisal of performance is coming from federal and non-governmental bodies.
“The shock of national and local endorsements create identify crisis for Osun APC as its lost credibility from the Presidency to key national caucus. The opposition is therefore running amock, ranting over billboards from non-governmental groups, displaying ignorance over investment drive and wandering over reality of its unelectability”, the statement posited.
“The imminent re-election of Governor Adeleke will be the outcome of unwavering people’s support, evidence-based performance in office, eternal vigilance of people to protect their votes and the divine grace of God. A Governor who has done so much for his people and who enjoys so much goodwill among national leaders is unbothered by the rantings of an unelectable opposition.
“Mr Governor assures the good people of Osun state that good governance delivery is unstoppable and he has the backing of men and women of goodwill across party lines, at home, at national level and in the diaspora.” he concluded.