Sequel to the scanty attendance at the launch of Governor Ademola Adeleke re-election campaign in Osogbo, the Osun State capital yesterday, the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has advised those who are cashing in on his ignorance to cash out for his phoney support to have a rethink.
With the high level of propaganda that preceded the campaign launch through electronic, print and social media, one would have thought that Governor Adeleke would literarily shut down the state capital yesterday. But alas as the reverse was the case!
The poor attendance at the Adeleke re-election campaign launch was an indication that he is far from being tagged with the toga of popularity as the few members of the deregistered Accord Party were attracted to the event with the mobilization fund promised them.
It was learnt that the mobilization fund turned to a source of embarrassment to the leadership of the deregistered party in the state as the members who made it to the event resisted their shortchanging which led to physical infightings at some spots at the Old Garage area of Osogbo, close to the venue of the event.
It would be recalled that the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja gave a landmark judgement on Monday, ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) to deregister the Accord Party and other four political parties for flouting of some fundamental constitutional provisions.
Since that Monday, things have not been the same with Governor Adeleke as his actions and inactions are evident that he is facing the most difficult political challenge of his life, running from pillar to post without any instant solution in sight.
Those who are cashing in on the ignorance of the governor who is desperate for re-election at all cost to milk him dry should know that their deceitful game has an expiring date which is fast knocking with its apogee on the reckoning day which is the 15th of August, 2026.
One of the highlights of the event was when some of the leaders of the deadwood purchased decampees took time to address the scanty crowd when the governor himself had to instruct the obviously disinterested rented crowd to hail the decampees who have little or no political value in their domains.
We want to impress it on the desperate Governor Adeleke that it is not by force to serve the people as what was witnessed at the launch of his re-election campaign was an indication that the good people of the state have unanimously rejected him as his best in the past three years is not desirable for the transformation of the state.
Another highlight of the event was when Governor Adeleke kept on assuring the rented crowd with an air of finality that he was cocksure that the name of his deregistered party would be on the ballot paper as if he would sit in judgement over the matter.
The crowd that was witnessed at the re-election campaign launch was not even up to what was witnessed in Ile-Ife nine days ago when the Ife Federal Constituency chapter of the opposition APC embarked on a walk-to-win exercise in support of the party's governorship candidate.
Based on the foregoing, it would not be out of tune to observe and conclude that it was a valedictory meeting that Governor Adeleke and his political co-travellers embarked upon in the state capital that yesterday.
It is our humble advice that Governor Adeleke should start writing his handover note as unfolding events since he fell down from the podium at the centre of the ancient town of Ijebu-Jesa in the Oriade Local Government Council Area of Osun State, last week, are pointing to his imminent loss of the election.
Apart from the fact that the political party under which the governor is seeking re-election has been deregistered without any definite assurance of bringing it back to life, the deregistered Accord Party in Osun State in particular and Nigeria in general is relatively unknown and verifiably unpopular.
The temporary respite that however, came to the camp of the deregistered Accord Party and the four others is that the Court of Appeal on Tuesday has ordered a stay of execution of the judgement that directed the INEC to deregister the affected political parties.
e-SIGNED:
Mogaji KOLA OLABISI, Osun State APC Director of Media and Information.*
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