Osun 2018: Omisore, Adeoti, Akinbade sign protocol on credible election

Three of the five leading candidates in the Osun State governorship election on Thursday revealed that they have signed a protocol to ensure that Saturday’s election is credible.

The candidates – Iyiola Omisore of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Moshood Adeoti of the African Democratic Party (ADP) and Fatai Akinbade of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) disclosed this while briefing reporters in Osogbo, the state capital.

Omisore briefed the media on behalf of the three.

According to Omisore, Adeoti and Akinbade did not stand down for him in the election.

He said the three of them, having watched and noticed how the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) has been allegedly intimidating voters at their rallies in recent days, decided to sign a gentleman agreement for the credibility of the election.

“APC has been boasting that they will rig election. So, these three parties, In spite of the differences in their names and candidates, still believe that the election must be credible. That’s why we signed the protocol. It is incumbent on these other parties, being leading opposition parties in the state, to publicly ask the people of Osun State to be vigilant as they cast their votes to prevent malpractices… We just want sincerity, credibility and fairness at the poll.” He said.

Omisore said each of the three parties would run its election by itself, but that there was need to encourage voters across the state not to be intimidated in any way because they are committed to free and fair election tomorrow.

He expressed confidence that the APC would be defeated in the election having allegedly failed the people of Osun State in the last eight years.

But when asked to provide evidence of the alleged intimidation by the governing party, Omisore said the declarations made by the APC at its rallies were pure intimidations which could discourage the masses of Osun State from coming out to cast their votes. “We watched it on Channels Television as they said those things. So, it is public knowledge, nothing that requires any documentary evidence.” The former senator said.

While denying withdrawing from the election, Adeoti, in a statement by his spokesman, Mr Kayode Agbaje, said he had no discussion with any other candidate about standing down, affirming that he remained a candidate in the election.

The statement read in part: “The attention of the Moshood Adeoti Campaign Organization (MACO) has been drawn to a rumour currently gaining ground in Osun State that our principal and governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Alhaji Moshood Adeoti has withdrawn his participation from the race in favour of Senator Iyiola Omisore, the candidates of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) .

“We wish to reiterate that at no time was our canadidate contacted for such and that the ADP and Alhaji Adeoti habour no such plans.

We still stand resolutely behind our resolve to contest and by God’s grace win the election.

Osun, as the only state we can call our own, needs a candidate with the experience and grassroots connection  like Alhaji Adeoti to take it out of its current situation.

“We therefore wish to assure our teeming supporters across all party lines and ADP members specifically, to disregard such rumour and stay focused on our mission to win the election.”