Governor Ademola Adeleke has cautioned against the use of “federal might” to influence the upcoming August 15 election in Osun State, warning that federal power should be used for governance rather than election manipulation.
Adeleke made the remarks while addressing leaders and ward officials of an enlarged Accord gathering across the 332 wards in Osun State, where he criticised the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress for allegedly threatening to deploy federal institutions during the poll.
Defence Of Electoral Integrity
The governor said the opposition’s repeated references to deploying federal power for the election unfairly dragged the name of President Bola Tinubu into political controversy.
According to him, the president’s use of federal authority is focused on governance initiatives such as infrastructure projects, student loan programmes and the proposed creation of state police, not election rigging.
“I task Osun APC to stop denigrating the names of Mr. President and the federal government. Instead of supporting Mr President and showing the world that the number one citizen is a democrat in words and actions, Osun APC’s campaign slogans have been all the way anti-people and anti-democracy,” Adeleke said.
He insisted that the people of Osun are committed to free and fair elections and that only voters—not political intimidation—should determine the outcome.
“Our people are insistent on their votes deciding who wins, who governs them. Our duty as candidates is to market our manifestos and seek their votes. Only electoral bandits boast of rigging in a democracy,” the governor said.
Mobilisation Ahead Of Poll
Adeleke also urged residents of the state to remain vigilant and prepared for the election, emphasising that no external force could override the will of the people.
Speaking at the event, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Lasun Yusuf called on party leaders to intensify grassroots mobilisation and defend the voting process.
Other speakers at the gathering included Olu Alabi, Wale Oladipo, the Osun chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Sunday Bisi, and the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun.
They all expressed confidence that Adeleke would secure re-election in the August 15 poll.
