The Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Mr. Wale Egbedun, has predicted victory for the governor, Ademola Adeleke, in the August 15 governorship poll.
Egbedun, who hinged Adeleke’s bright chances in the poll on his achievements in his first term, said the electorate will be willing to reward the governor with another four years.
A statement released by the chief press secretary to the speaker, Tiamiyu Olamide, obtained in Osogbo on Saturday, stated that Egbedun spoke in Inisa, Osun State, while receiving some defectors from the All Progressives Congress into the Accord Party.
The statement said over 500 defectors led by Aare Kazeem Abdulrasheed officially joined the Accord Party at the rally held in Inisa in the Odo Otin local government area of the state.
Speaking further at the event, Egbedun said, “The record of success and achievement will speak for Governor Adeleke, and by August 15th, he will win by a landslide.”
He assured the electorate in the state of the integrity of the voting process, insisting that manipulation will not be allowed in the election.
Welcoming the defectors into the Accord Party, the Speaker urged those in the party already to embrace the new members and properly integrate them.
“I want to sincerely welcome our brothers and sisters who have decided to join us today. I also admonish our party faithful to accommodate them and work together for the progress of our state.
“You should disregard any threats; your votes will count, and your voices will be heard.
“INEC must conduct itself as a truly public institution and ensure a free, fair, and credible election in Osun State,” he added.
Earlier, while speaking on behalf of the defectors, Kazeem Abdulrasheed, a former local government executive member of the APC, explained that their decision to join Accord was due to their dissatisfaction with the management of APC affairs by those in charge.
He commended the leadership of Egbedun and the achievements recorded by the Adeleke administration, saying, “We left the APC because it has become a sole proprietorship party, solely controlled by a man whose administration destroyed the state.“
The electorate in Osun State will be going to the polls on August 15 to elect a new governor in an election where the incumbent, Ademola Adeleke, is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party.
The ex-managing director of the National Inland Waterways Authority, Bola Oyebamiji, is contesting the poll on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, while ex-speaker of the State House of Assembly, Dr. Najeem Salaam, is running on the platform of the African Democratic Congress.
Credit: punchng.com
