The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has said that his supporters wanted to members of the All Progressive Congress, APC, after the party lost the election in 2018.
Adeleke, however, said he cautioned his supporters, who believed that the APC rigged the election.
He stated this during an election debate organized by Channels Television on Sunday.
Adeleke, who is contesting again in the July 16th Osun governorship election, alleged that thugs were used to suppress his supporters, claiming his ‘mandate was stolen’ by the APC in the state.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared the 2018 Osun governorship election inclusive but at the end of the supplementary poll which held in seven polling units across four local government areas, the electoral body declared Gboyega Oyetola of the APC winner of the election after polling of 255,505 votes, against Adeleke, who scored a total of 255,023 votes.
Adeleke, however, accused Oyetola of politicising Amotekun for election gains, asking the governor to pledge violence-free election.
He said, “Every body knows our family; we are very peaceful as we go our own ways. In 2018 when our mandate was stolen, they were carrying cutlasses and killing our people, throwing stones.
“Channels was there too, you saw it; go and fact check. They were doing all that. People came to my house and said we should go and attack them. I said no we are very peaceful. We are going to regain our mandate through legal means. And that is what we did. We went to the tribunal before they started magic again.”
He stated that if elected governor of Osun state he would collaborate with security agencies and empower them to end insecurity especially cultism in the state, saying his international connection would attract investors.
Reacting to Adeleke’s claim, Oyetola said, “I don’t know what he is talking about. I have made my statement.”