Senator Adeleke
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, is confident that Osun people would resist rigging in election slated to hold on September 22.
He stated this after a meeting with the United States Consul General, John Bray, on Tuesday, who visited the governorship.
Journalists were not allowed to be part of the meeting held at the residence of the politician and the consul general was shielded from granting an interview to journalists after the meeting.
But it was gathered that the envoy discussed the need to ensure a peaceful poll with the PDP candidate and that he had earlier held a similar meeting with the leadership of the police and the Department of State Services in the state.
Adeleke told journalists after the meeting that he was confident that there would be no violence during the election, saying the people of the state would also watch over their votes to ensure that the poll was not manipulated.
Adeleke said, “Osun State is different from Ekiti State; Osun people are vibrant and vigilant. Osun people will vote and stay with their votes and I believe that what happened during the Osun West Senatorial District by-election, the landslide victory, the same thing will happen this time round. This will be so because Osun people are vigilant.
“I also told him that Osun State needs change because the present government led by Governor Rauf Aregbesola owes a lot of money. He owes teachers, civil servants and pensioners and pensioners are dying, and that is why Osun State needs this change in order to move forward.
“I want the people of Osun State to be calm, this election will be peaceful. This election is hoping to send a message to the international community that Nigeria has arrived and that Nigeria is ready for democracy.
“There are rumours that the police will be deployed in the state to disrupt the election but I believe that our police are law-abiding. I believe that our President is law-abiding and that he will direct the security personnel very well that he wants a free and fair election.”
Adeleke added that he believed that the presence of the members of the international community to monitor the election would make the election peaceful.