Why APC’s Oyebamiji Can’t Lose Osun Gov Election – Party Spokesman

Mogaji Kola Olabisi, Director of Media and Information for the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, speaks with JOSHUA DADA about today’s election and the conditions under which the party would accept its outcome.

As the election approaches, how confident is the APC of victory, and what gives you that confidence?

We are very confident in our governorship candidate’s prospects of winning the forthcoming governorship election, given his sound educational background, robust work experience, and humane character, which together demonstrate that he has what it takes to serve effectively as the state’s chief executive. He is no stranger to governance, having served as a two-term finance commissioner in the state.

What are the three major issues you believe will determine how people in Osun vote on election day?

The three major issues that will determine the outcome of the election are: the incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke’s visible abysmal performance in office, which has hindered the state’s development; the incumbent governor’s lack of wherewithal to think outside the box, as he prioritises spending the monthly handout from Abuja instead of finding ways to increase the state’s Internally Generated Revenue.

Another is the uneven development of the state, which favours Governor Adeleke’s hometown by 72 per cent, to the disadvantage of all other towns and local government councils in the state. The biggest issues that would determine the outcome of the election in the incumbent governor’s disfavour are well known.

Do you believe the electoral environment is currently conducive to a free, fair and credible election?  Why?

It would be an understatement to say that the electoral environment is conducive to a free, fair and credible election, as those who believe the governorship is their birthright are promoting and funding violent attacks on our people almost daily to scare genuine voters away from carrying out their civic duty on election day.

The hit squad arm of the Accord Party is responsible for the killings and maiming of our members and supporters. It is on record that no fewer than 30 of our members and supporters were killed by the political hoodlums of the Peoples Democratic Party’s extraction before the 2022 governorship election. This means that Governor Ademola Adeleke and all the elected PDP functionaries who purportedly won the 2022 and 2023 elections stepped on the blood of our members to achieve their questionable victory. Ijesaland recorded the highest number of political killings, with 17 out of the 30.

 What’s the police doing about that?

The police have been doing their best to protect people’s lives and property. Another angle to the political imbroglio in the state is that the governor and the leadership of the Accord Party have been frustrating the police in carrying out their statutory responsibilities by blackmailing them whenever they do so. It is on record that Governor Adeleke has been keeping many of the hoodlums on the police wanted list in the Government House to evade arrest and prosecution.

The governor also granted clemency to hardened criminals in the state’s correctional centres about a month ago. It is these released criminals who have been killing our members and supporters in Ijesaland and other towns across the state.

Are you satisfied with the level of preparedness shown by the electoral umpire and the security agencies?

With the assurance given by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, we do not doubt that the commission will do its best in the state. The INEC Chairman has since relocated to the state, where he has been monitoring the commission’s activities to ensure an effective governorship election. The mock election carried out by the commission in some designated local government councils about two weeks ago would allow the electoral body to correct any lapses. We have confidence in the commission that it will conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive election in the state.

 There have been concerns about political violence. What steps has your campaign taken to ensure your supporters remain peaceful before, during and after the election?

Our party was founded on the principles of law and order, which have been its hallmark. Nothing can make us depart from our commitment to the rule of law. We continually educate our members to remain civil even when provoked by the Accord Party hoodlums. If we were like them, the whole state would have been engulfed in fire. We prefer to resort to the courts of law whenever our rights are trampled upon.

If the election does not go in the APC’s favour, will your party accept the outcome immediately, or would you first review the process before taking a position?

We cannot lose the election. The reward for hard work is success, which is expected of our governorship candidate, Asiwaju Muniru Oyebamiji. Our members and supporters have been toiling day and night to win it. At the same time, Governor Adeleke was busy wining, dining, and frolicking across the globe under the pretext of seeking foreign investors, with no luck for close to four years. Our candidate is not a pretender; he is a serious contender who knows no failure.

What specific circumstances would lead the APC to reject the outcome of the election?

We are confident in INEC’s ability to conduct a free, fair, credible, and inclusive election in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, as amended. Only if the commission jettisons the existing Electoral Act will there be issues. We should not even discuss the circumstances under which we might reject the election outcome. When we reach the river, we shall devise a means to cross it.

Conversely, what conditions would convince your party that the election was free, fair and credible, even if your candidate loses?

Just as a student who has burnt the candle at both ends is sure of victory, so too is our workaholic, sufficiently educated and pragmatic governorship candidate. Our candidate is a serious contender who expects nothing short of victory at the polls. As I said earlier, the reward of hard work is success. Our candidate will definitely win the election. He has worked for it; he is well prepared. The people of the state love him. His supporters mill round him like ants to sugar. The template for conducting the election is set out in the Electoral Act 2026, as amended. It is the commission’s strict adherence to the provisions of the Electoral Act that will determine whether the election is free, fair, credible and inclusive.

Would you encourage your supporters to remain calm and pursue legal channels if the outcome is disputed?

We are not pessimists in our party, and we expect our candidate to win the election clearly. However, I agree that legal channels are part of the acceptable processes for the governorship election and could be used if necessary.

Some observers fear post-election violence. What message do you have for APC supporters and the people of Osun ahead of the announcement of results?

The Osun people should be civil and keep in mind that violence is antithetical to any democratic institution. They should play politics by the rules. In any contest, there will always be a winner and a loser. It is undemocratic for an individual or any group of people to threaten to bring down the roof of the state if the election result does not favour their candidate.

How much confidence do you have in the deployment of security personnel to ensure neutrality during the election?

We have absolute confidence in the deployment of security personnel to ensure neutrality during the election. This aligns with the assurance given to the people of the state by the Inspector-General of Police during his recent working visit to Osun State. In addition, I am aware that the police have an internal mechanism to ensure the neutrality of their personnel during the election.

What role do you expect domestic and international election observers to play in strengthening public confidence in the electoral process?

We expect that the domestic and international election observers would strictly adhere to the rules governing their operations during the election to strengthen public confidence in the process.

 What assurances can you give that the APC will respect the democratic will of the people, regardless of the outcome?

As I stated earlier, we believe in the rule of law, and nothing will make us depart from it. It is through this approach that democracy can flourish and blossom, as in some Western countries.

If you could define in one sentence what would make this governorship election credible and acceptable to all stakeholders, what would that be?

Strict adherence by the commission to the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, as amended, would make this governorship election credible and acceptable to all the stakeholders.