- Safiu Kehinde
The Osun State All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Campaign Council has slammed the state governor, Ademola Adeleke, over a video showing a group of women taking oath of allegiance to support and vote for him.
The video shared on X on Friday showed some suspected officials of the Accord Party administering the oath to the women before giving them an amount of money alleged to be N10,000 each.
Reacting to the video, the Osun APC campaign council, in a statement issued by its Head of Media and Publicity Committee, Oluremi Omowaiye, expressed concern over what it described as the latest dimension of vote-buying.
The APC slammed Adeleke over what it considered to be not only dastardly and crude but also morally reprehensible.
The party held that the development confirmed Adeleke’s imminent defeat at the August 15 election while accusing the governor of frightening the citizens of the state.
‘It represents a dangerous descent into political desperation and an affront to the democratic values that guarantee every citizen the freedom to vote according to their conscience without coercion, intimidation or manipulation.
‘The emergence of these videos has further confirmed what is already obvious to every discerning observer—that Governor Ademola Adeleke has seen the unmistakable handwriting of defeat on the wall.
‘Having failed to convince the people with his record in office, he has now resorted to frightening vulnerable citizens into pledging supernatural allegiance in a desperate bid to retain power.
‘It is indeed tragic that after almost four years in office, a government that has impoverished and pauperized thousands of Osun residents has reduced the same people to the point where they are willing to invoke severe curses upon themselves if they fail to support the Accord Party and Governor Adeleke at the polls.
‘Nothing could better illustrate the level of economic hardship and hopelessness inflicted on the people by this administration.’ Omowaiye wrote.
The APC likened the oath-taking video to Adeleke donation of N20,000 bonus to civil servants in what was labelled another alleged vote-inducement strategy and attempt to purchase the conscience of the workers to secure their votes ahead of the August 15 election.
The party however maintained that the Osun electorates cannot be intimidated to forget the realities facing the state.
APC called on security agencies, election observers, and all relevant stakeholders to monitor the developments in the state ahead of the election
‘No amount of inducement, intimidation, spiritual manipulation or political drama can erase the realities confronting the people of Osun State.
‘The electorate are fully aware of the state of governance, the unmet expectations and the numerous opportunities squandered under the current administration.
‘The APC Governorship Campaign Council therefore urges security agencies, election observers and all relevant stakeholders to closely monitor these disturbing developments and ensure that every form of voter inducement, coercion and intimidation is investigated in accordance with the law.
‘Elections must remain contests of ideas, performance and popular choice—not fear, superstition or exploitation of poverty.’ The statement read further.