OSUN ELECTION: Supporters defend Aregbesola, demand accountability from ADC leadership
By Our Correspondent
The supporters, in a statement titled “Aregbesola: The Hero Who Stood Till the End,” said the outcome of the election should be subjected to a broader assessment instead of being reduced to the result recorded at Aregbesola’s polling unit.
Supporters of former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola have defended his role in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) campaign in the August 15 governorship election, urging party leaders and other stakeholders to avoid blaming him for the party’s poor performance.
The supporters, in a statement titled “Aregbesola: The Hero Who Stood Till the End,” said the outcome of the election should be subjected to a broader assessment instead of being reduced to the result recorded at Aregbesola’s polling unit.
They argued that elections were determined by a combination of factors, including political structures, campaign resources, logistics, grassroots mobilisation, coordination and strategic decisions.
According to them, Aregbesola remained actively involved in the campaign, visiting communities, traditional rulers and community leaders across the state in an effort to mobilise support for the ADC candidate, Iwaloye.
The supporters also claimed that Aregbesola committed personal resources to the campaign and remained behind the candidate despite what they described as political difficulties within the party.
Questions over candidate selection
The statement raised questions about the emergence of the ADC governorship ticket, particularly the choice of the deputy governorship candidate.
It alleged that the choice was strongly influenced by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar despite concerns within some campaign circles about the candidate’s grassroots presence and political engagement in Osun.
The supporters questioned whether the ticket adequately reflected the political realities of the state and urged the party to examine whether key decisions were sufficiently informed by local political structures.
Alleged behind-the-scenes negotiations
The group also raised questions about Atiku’s visit to Osogbo for the ADC mega rally.
It alleged that after Atiku arrived in the state, members of his entourage were diverted to the residence of Governor Ademola Adeleke for discussions reportedly relating to a possible political alliance, without Aregbesola being informed beforehand.
The supporters said the allegation, if established, would raise concerns about trust and coordination within the campaign.
They argued that major political negotiations involving an electoral contest should be communicated to those directly responsible for the campaign.
ADC national leadership questioned
The statement further questioned the level of involvement of the ADC national leadership in the Osun election.
According to the supporters, while political stakeholders from other parties, including the APC and Accord, reportedly visited the state to demonstrate solidarity, the ADC’s national executive was allegedly not sufficiently present on the ground to provide the expected leadership and coordination.
They maintained that a governorship election could not be successfully managed by one individual, stressing the importance of effective national and state structures, ward-level mobilisation, polling agents, logistics and campaign financing.
Concerns over campaign funding
The group also alleged that the campaign did not receive adequate financial support and that funds reportedly allocated by the national structure were not fully disbursed to campaign workers.
It claimed that some agents and canvassers were allegedly left without adequate support and that some reportedly abandoned their polling units because promised payments or logistics were unavailable.
The supporters called for an investigation into the campaign’s finances and logistics, saying that any failure to adequately support polling-unit agents could have affected the party’s performance.
Aregbesola’s polling unit
The statement also rejected what it described as attempts to ridicule Aregbesola over the result recorded at his polling unit.
According to the supporters, the former governor went to his polling unit despite an allegedly tense security situation in the area.
They claimed that suspected political thugs had allegedly created an intimidating atmosphere around the polling location.
The group argued that Aregbesola’s performance at one polling unit should not be used as the sole measure of his contribution to the wider campaign.
Alliance with Adeleke
The supporters further alleged that Aregbesola rejected a possible alliance with Adeleke because he did not want to disappoint supporters who had entrusted him with leading the political project independently.
They, however, claimed that some stakeholders subsequently engaged in discussions with Adeleke without Aregbesola’s knowledge.
The group said such allegations, if true, should be investigated because political leaders could not reasonably be expected to take responsibility for decisions made without their knowledge.
Call for accountability
Rather than assigning blame to one person, the supporters called for a comprehensive review of the ADC’s performance in the election.
They said any mistakes made by Aregbesola, the governorship candidate, the state leadership or the national leadership should be identified and addressed.
They also called for clarification of allegations surrounding campaign funding, logistics, polling agents and alleged political negotiations.
The statement said the objective should not be to find a scapegoat but to establish what went wrong and prevent a recurrence.
“Osun deserves the truth. ADC deserves the truth. The people who worked for this campaign deserve the truth,” the supporters said.
They urged the ADC leadership to learn from the election, strengthen its grassroots structures and improve coordination ahead of future electoral contests.
The supporters maintained that while Aregbesola and the ADC may have lost the election, his supporters believed his efforts during the campaign should be assessed within the broader circumstances surrounding the party’s electoral performance rather than through the result of a single polling unit.
“Osun has spoken. Now let the truth speak too,” the statement concluded.
