Electioneering campaign for this Saturday’s by election for Osun West Senatorial assumed a dramatic trend on Wednesday when Osun State governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola took on Adeleke’s family in Ede, saying the death of Senator Isiaka Adeleke has affected the mentality of his junior brother, Dr Deji Adeleke.
He said “I heard that Deji Adeleke said he is fighting with me. How can he be fighting with me. The death of his brother has affected his mentality.
Aregbesola, who spoke in Ede, the country home of Adelekes during a mega rally organised by the All Progressive Congress (APC) to drum support for its candidate in the July 8 by election for Osun West Senatorial District said senatorial seat is not the exclusive right of any family.
He described as totally untrue rumours that he collected huge sums of money from Deji Adeleke some years back, saying “I want to state that I have not received any favour from him and did not at anytime collected money from him. Rather, it is them (Adeleke family) that have collected money from me.
Speaking in Yoruba language to a crowd of supporters that thronged the campaign ground, Aregbesola, who was visibly angry stated, “it is Deji Adeleke that has gotten favours from me. Many years after he built his university, Adeleke University in Ede, he could not obtain Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) from previous government”.
According to him, “Deji Adeleke does not have the financial capacity to bail out Osun from its financial challenges even before now, not to talk about lending us money to pay workers’ salaries. If anything at all, it is their family that sought and got favours from the Osun State Government under my watch”.
“It is to the glory of God that they got the Certificate of Occupancy of their university from our government. Why didn’t those who are their new friends give them C of O of that university? If Deji Adeleke has so much money, why is he begging me to waive the payable tax of his university? Why can’t he just pay?
“I am bold enough to say this over and over again, because I have never sought for assistance from any of the Adeleke’s family even during the life time of Senator Isiaka Adeleke, nothing as such occurred. Though my relationship with late Adeleke was cordial and beyond politics because we have known each other even before Osun politics because our residences are adjacent to each other in Lagos state.
“He was a good brother and a friend to me while alive, but during this dire economic period, I never approach him for any financial assistance not to talk of obtaining cash from his brother, Aregebsola asserted.
While arguing that senatorial seat is not the exclusive right of any family, he posited that “if it is the exclusive right of a family, then, Osun people should be serving the children of Late Chief Bola Ige. Late M.K.O Abiola died for democracy and in that light, his son Kola Abiola should be made the president of Nigeria. Things don’t work that way.”
Aregbesola further declared that “the pariah of Adeleke family and father of Deji Adeleke, Late Raji Adeleke was a progressive and Senator Isiaka Adeleke was a progressive politician before his death. It was Deji Adeleke that brought conservative politics into Ede. Any Ede indigene that vote for the PDP in Saturday is a bastard son or daughter of Yoruba.”
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