Osun Poll: Rising Tension Aimed At Suppressing Voter Turnout—Alimi

With the Osun State governorship election only hours away, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, has alleged that the political tension in the state is being deliberately fuelled to discourage voters from turning out for Saturday’s election.

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 their campaigns ahead of the August 15 poll.

The commissioner alleged that the All Progressives Congress, APC, was aware of its declining popularity in the state and was relying on intimidation and federal influence to suppress voter participation.

“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 claimed that the tension was part of a broader strategy to reduce the number of voters who would participate in the election.

“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 threatening to deploy federal influence against the wishes of Osun voters, alleging that the party knew it had been rejected by the people.

“APC in Osun State know 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.

The commissioner urged voters not to be intimidated, insisting that the electorate would determine the outcome of the election through their votes.

“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,” he said.

—LG crisis designed to cripple Adeleke govt — Alimi—

Alimi also alleged that the prolonged dispute over local government administration and funding in the state was initially designed to cripple the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke by creating a situation where the government would be unable to meet its salary obligations.

He claimed that those behind the arrangement expected workers to go on strike and the government to lose public support as a result of its inability to pay salaries.

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

According to Alimi, when that strategy failed, other areas of political confrontation emerged, including disputes over billboards, alleged shootings and 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.

The commissioner had earlier alleged that the state government was spending about N6.5 billion monthly to meet local government-related salary obligations, while claiming that the disputed local government allocations were being paid to APC-backed council officials.

He also alleged that the state had spent about N100 billion of its own resources to sustain the obligations and 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 responded to criticism from former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, over Adeleke’s decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the Accord Party ahead of Saturday’s election.

Oyinlola, who spoke on Frontline on Tuesday, had accused Adeleke of failing to consult key stakeholders before defecting from the PDP.
Alimi, however, argued that the disagreement between Adeleke and some PDP elders was much older than the governor’s recent decision to leave the party, tracing the dispute to the 2022 PDP governorship primary.

He said some of the party elders had backed Dr Dotun Babayemi during the parallel primary and subsequently pursued the matter through the courts up to 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.

According to him, Adeleke’s eventual victories in the legal battles did not result in complete reconciliation between the two camps.

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

Alimi therefore rejected the argument that Adeleke’s movement to Accord was simply a failure to consult political elders, describing the disagreement as an unresolved political wound.

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

He specifically referenced Oyinlola’s earlier position on Adeleke’s possible movement to another political party, claiming that the former governor had advised Adeleke to consider Accord rather than APC.

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

The commissioner also claimed that some of the same figures who had previously opposed Adeleke joining the APC later supported an APC candidate ahead of Saturday’s 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 that were kicking against Adeleke going to APC, they are now the ones who are going to adopt an APC candidate,” he said.

Callers express concern
The heated discussion also drew reactions from callers, with some expressing concern over the possibility of violence and the influence of federal power in the election.

A caller, AB from Epe, questioned the controversy surrounding local government funds and expressed concern over possible federal influence in the election, arguing that attention should also be paid to deaths and other incidents arising from the political crisis.

Another caller, Wasiu from Ago-Iwoye, appealed for greater attention to political violence, urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and security agencies to identify and prosecute individuals responsible for threats and violent acts.

He also urged security agencies to take threatening political statements seriously and provide adequate protection for people and locations considered vulnerable ahead of Saturday’s election.

Another caller, Oscar from Ijebu-Ode, condemned the growing role of violence in Nigerian politics, arguing that political office should be about public service rather than the pursuit of power at all costs.

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He called for fundamental changes to the country’s political system, warning that violence would continue if politicians continued to view elections as a battle for power rather than an opportunity to serve.

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 Saturday’s governorship election.