Osun Election: APC creating tension to discourage voters, Alimi alleges

Michael Olumide Alabi

Osun State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, has alleged that the rising political tension ahead of Saturday’s governorship election is part of a deliberate strategy to discourage voters from coming out to exercise their franchise.

Alimi made the allegation on Thursday while appearing on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, as political parties intensified mobilisation ahead of the governorship poll.

According to the commissioner, the All Progressives Congress (APC) was allegedly aware of its declining popularity in the state and was therefore relying on intimidation and perceived federal influence to suppress voter participation.

He claimed that voters had allegedly been warned against coming out to vote if they were not prepared to support the APC.

“They have been telling the people around that don’t come out to vote if you are not going to vote for APC. They have been issuing that threat over a long period of time,” Alimi alleged.

He further alleged that the tension being generated around the election was intended to create fear among voters and ultimately reduce the number of people who would participate in the democratic process.

“They are creating tension so that at the end of the day, the number of people that will come out to vote will be drastically reduced,” he said.

Alimi also accused the APC of allegedly threatening to deploy federal influence against the wishes of Osun voters, insisting that the electorate, rather than political power from Abuja, should determine who governs the state.

The commissioner alleged that the APC was aware that it had lost popularity among the people but was allegedly seeking to use federal might to influence the outcome of the election.

“APC in Osun State knows that they have been rejected. They know that people don’t like them, but they are ready to brag at every opportunity that they will use federal might to suppress the will of the people,” he alleged.

He, however, urged residents not to be intimidated, assuring that the government and its supporters would remain committed to the democratic process.

“We will refuse to be intimidated. Our people will stand by their vote, will come out to vote and will stand by their vote and we are going to defeat them,” Alimi said.

LG crisis designed to cripple Adeleke government — Alimi

The commissioner also alleged that the prolonged controversy surrounding local government administration and finances in Osun State was initially designed to cripple the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke.

According to him, those allegedly behind the crisis had expected the state government to become financially incapable of meeting its salary obligations, thereby forcing workers into industrial action and creating widespread dissatisfaction with the administration.

Alimi claimed that the expectation was that the government would collapse under the financial pressure within a few months.

“They thought, by the time they took that test, that in three or four months, the government would collapse. The government will not be able to meet the salary obligations, the workers will go on strike, and then it will be very easy for them,” he alleged.

He said that when the alleged strategy failed, other areas of political confrontation subsequently emerged, including disputes over billboards, alleged shootings and controversies surrounding the control of motor parks.

“When that one failed, they now move on to a series of other design tests, like the issue of a billboard when the election starts, shooting sporadically injuring people, up to the issue of motor park,” he said.

Alimi had earlier claimed that the state government was spending about N6.5 billion monthly to meet local government-related salary obligations.

He also alleged that while the state government was bearing the financial burden, disputed local government allocations were being paid to council officials backed by the APC.

The commissioner further claimed that the Osun State Government had spent about N100 billion from its own resources to sustain the obligations, while alleging that the broader financial exposure arising from the dispute was approaching N300 billion.

Adeleke-Oyinlola rift dates back to 2022 PDP primary — Alimi

The commissioner also addressed comments by former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, concerning Governor Adeleke’s decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Accord Party ahead of Saturday’s election.

Oyinlola, while appearing on the same Frontline programme on Tuesday, had criticised Adeleke’s decision, arguing that the governor ought to have consulted key stakeholders before leaving the PDP.

Alimi, however, disputed the suggestion that the disagreement between Adeleke and some PDP elders was caused primarily by the governor’s recent political realignment.

He traced the disagreement to the 2022 PDP governorship primary, during which some party leaders allegedly supported Dr. Dotun Babayemi against Adeleke.

According to him, the disagreement subsequently escalated into prolonged legal battles that eventually reached the Supreme Court.

“They did not support Adeleke in 2022, even in 2018. They supported one, Dr Babayemi, and the case was brought up to the Supreme Court,” Alimi said.

He argued that although Adeleke eventually won the legal battles, the different camps within the party failed to achieve complete reconciliation.

“When Adeleke won all the cases, they could not reintegrate properly into the mainstream of the party,” he said.

The commissioner, therefore, rejected the argument that Adeleke’s decision to move to the Accord Party was simply a consequence of his failure to consult political elders.

“This is not about consultation, it’s about perhaps the whole wound has not properly healed,” he said.

Alimi further claimed that Oyinlola himself had previously suggested that Accord was a safer political platform for Adeleke than the APC.

“They are part of the people. Ask anybody, Baba Oyinlola was the first one on the radio who said, the only party that is safe for Adeleke to join is the Accord,” he alleged.

He also claimed that some political figures who had previously opposed Adeleke’s possible defection to the APC later backed an APC candidate ahead of the election.

“We thought it was a joke, maybe Baba just wants us to come back the second time, only for us to just hear that those people who were kicking against Adeleke going to APC, they are now the ones who are going to adopt an APC candidate,” he said.

Callers raise concern over violence, security

The programme also attracted reactions from callers, several of whom expressed concern over the possibility of violence and the role of political influence in Saturday’s election.

A caller identified as AB from Epe questioned the controversy surrounding local government funds and expressed concern over the possibility of federal influence in the election.

The caller argued that beyond political calculations, attention should also be paid to deaths and other incidents allegedly connected to the political crisis in the state.

Another caller, Wasiu from Ago-Iwoye, called for stronger action against political violence.

He appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and security agencies to identify and prosecute individuals allegedly responsible for threats and violent acts during the election period.

Wasiu also urged security agencies to take threatening political statements seriously and provide adequate protection for individuals and locations considered vulnerable ahead of the poll.

Similarly, another caller, Oscar from Ijebu-Ode, condemned the increasing role of violence in Nigerian politics.

He argued that political office should be viewed as an opportunity to serve the people rather than a contest in which politicians pursue power at all costs.

He called for fundamental reforms to Nigeria’s political system, warning that political violence would persist if politicians continued to regard elections as battles for power rather than opportunities for public service.

The concerns came as Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party seeks another term in office against the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, and other contenders in the Osun State governorship election.

With voters expected to head to the polls on Saturday, attention remains focused on security, voter turnout and the ability of political parties and their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully.

The commissioner’s allegations have further heightened the political temperature in the state, even as stakeholders continue to call for a credible, peaceful and transparent election in which voters are allowed to freely exercise their constitutional right to choose their preferred candidate.