Vote peacefully, judge by our performance, Adeleke camp tells Osun electorate

Chinedum Ukaegbu

As political tension continues to build ahead of the August 15 governorship election in Osun State, Senior Special Adviser to Governor Ademola Adeleke, Comrade Funmiso Babarinde, has appealed to political parties, security agencies and residents to ensure a peaceful electoral process, insisting that elections should never be turned into a battlefield.

Babarinde made the appeal during an exclusive interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, where he expressed concern over the growing political tension in the state.

According to him, recent protests, political disagreements and reports of intimidation should not discourage eligible voters from exercising their constitutional right to vote.

“An election is not supposed to be war. The voters are not the problem. Harassment is unnecessary. What people need is protection of lives and property,” he said.

He urged security agencies to remain professional and impartial in carrying out their constitutional responsibilities, stressing that neutrality by law enforcement agencies would help inspire public confidence in the electoral process.

Speaking on behalf of Governor Ademola Adeleke, Babarinde encouraged residents to come out peacefully and participate in the election.

“On behalf of our governor, I urge the people to remain calm and wake up early to vote on August 15. Please be careful,” he said.

The appeal comes amid heightened political tension following the arrest of the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, and five others during a police raid on his private residence in Osogbo on July 29.

According to the Osun State Police Command, the operation was based on intelligence linked to investigations into alleged vote-buying, criminal conspiracy and the harbouring of a wanted murder suspect. Police said they recovered more than ₦4.8 million in cash, voter registers and several Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

However, the Osun State Government and Governor Adeleke’s campaign organisation have strongly rejected the allegations, describing the operation as politically motivated and accusing the opposition APC and the state Commissioner of Police of using security agencies to intimidate members of the ruling administration.

Despite the controversy, Babarinde maintained that the focus of the Adeleke administration remained governance and development rather than political distractions.

He argued that the administration’s achievements over the last four years provide a strong basis for seeking another mandate from the electorate.
According to him, the government inherited huge financial liabilities but has significantly reduced the burden by clearing salary arrears owed to workers.

He explained that only issues arising from the lingering local government crisis remained unresolved, expressing optimism that they would also be addressed.

Babarinde highlighted what he described as major infrastructure projects executed by the administration, including road construction and rehabilitation across Osogbo, Ile-Ife and Ilesa, adding that the state’s first flyover in Ile-Ife was nearing completion.

He also pointed to significant improvements in the health sector, stating that more than 200 Primary Healthcare Centres had been renovated to standards comparable with those recommended by the World Health Organization.

According to him, the reforms attracted grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, while the Osun Health Insurance Scheme has been expanded to cover traditional rulers, inmates in correctional centres and about 26,000 vulnerable residents.

On economic development, Babarinde said the administration had empowered market women by organising them into registered cooperatives and facilitating approximately ₦6 billion in low-interest loans to support and expand their businesses.

He further noted that the education sector had witnessed remarkable progress, with Osun State University securing accreditation for its academic programmes, while students studying Agriculture and Education continued to benefit from tuition-free education.

He insisted that these accomplishments demonstrated the administration’s commitment to improving the lives of residents and should serve as the benchmark for evaluating Governor Adeleke’s performance.

“What we are saying, in essence, is that elections should be free, fair and credible. Violence-free. Everybody should go back to his or her polling unit and vote peacefully. Those monitoring the votes should do so responsibly, while INEC must be proactive,” he said.

Babarinde also disclosed that the state government had sustained engagements with civil society organisations, political stakeholders and the National Peace Committee as part of efforts to ensure a peaceful election.

He said reports of alleged incidents had been properly documented and would be presented to the Peace Committee ahead of the signing of the peace accord by political parties.

“We are arranging a press conference, the civil society people have been involved, and all things have been documented. The Peace Committee will be in the state, and all these issues will be tabled before them so that whatever action is necessary can be taken,” he added.

Expressing optimism that Osun residents would conduct themselves peacefully on election day, Babarinde called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and all political actors to uphold the principles of fairness, neutrality and transparency to ensure that the outcome of the August 15 governorship election reflects the genuine will of the people.