The All Progressives Congress (APC) recently called for an investigation into Ademola Adeleke, the party’s gubernatorial candidate, over allegations of a vote-buying plot. The Governorship Campaign Council of the Osun Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed this call.
The Adegboyega Oyetola administration’s failure and his impending defeat, according to the Osun PDP, were being covered up.
The Campaign Council claimed that Senator Ademola Adeleke never boasted about or mentioned having plans to buy votes in a statement released on Tuesday and signed by Diran Odeyemi, Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee, Senator Ademola Adeleke Campaign Organization.
The Osun PDP further charged that Governor Oyetola and his team were experts in purposeful misinformation and misinterpretation, that they had no evidence to support the governor’s reelection bid, and that they had been frantically trying to undermine the will of the Osun people through the killing and maiming of PDP supporters.
According to the statement, “He never claimed before a first-class Oba that he is richer than the monarchy and Osun State as a whole. Never has Senator Adeleke relied on voters’ monetary inducement as his local government tour has attracted an unprecedented crowd of voters all over the State.
”Oyetola and his team specialise in deliberate misinformation and misinterpretation of Senator Adeleke because they have nothing to show as justification for the governor’s re-election bid.
“Osun people are, however, wiser than agents of dark propaganda whose stock in trade is to deceive the public while inflicting untold hardship on the populace.
“All over the world, elections cost money in terms of logistics, media, and printable. Senator Adeleke is right to promise the availability of funds to cover his election expenses based on contributions from family and friends. Our candidate’s funding capacity is a product of legitimate private-sector earnings, not a corrupt, ill-gotten wealth from State coffers. The public knows the truth and the shamelessness demonstrated by Oyetola’s campaign Council is legendary.
“While we understand the frustration of Oyetola and his people, we assert that the upcoming governorship election is a referendum on the failure of the Gboyega Oyetola government.
“With facts on the ground, no campaign of calumny, no matter how sophisticated, can dissuade Osun people from rejecting the All Progressives Congress (APC) on July 16.
“Senator Adeleke has been moving around Osun, canvassing voters on the need to salvage the State from ruin orchestrated by APC failures. It is the Governor’s party that is desperately pushing to subvert the will of Osun people by killing and maiming PDP supporters.”
On Monday, Senator Ajibola Basiru, the Director-General of the Oyetola Campaign organisation had called for the probe of the PDP gubernatorial candidate, Ademola Adeleke over alleged vote buying.
Basiru also accused the Osun State PDP of engaging in the destruction of its campaign billboards all over the State, an accusation the Osun PDP and the Ademola Adeleke gubernatorial camp had since denied.