The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, the national chairman of the party, Senator David Mark, and his secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, on Monday canvassed the electorate in Osun to vote for the party’s standard bearer, Najeem Salaam, during Saturday’s governorship poll in the state.
They assured eligible voters that the state can only witness responsible and virile leadership that can positively impact the masses if they cast their ballots for the ADC, stressing that nobody should be swayed by any form of intimidation and should protect their votes.
Speaking during a campaign rally at the popular Freedom Park, in Osogbo, which was attended by other top echelons of the ADC, including Senator Dino Melaye, and the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Honourable Najeem Salaam, the trio, who spoke in turn, emphasised the need for a violence-free and credible poll.
While recalling that his presence at the rally would be the fourth time on the podium in Freedom Park, Atiku commended Osun residents for voting for him during the 2023 presidential poll when he contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state to defeat incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to him, “I came here for the current governor (Ademola Adeleke), and I appeal to you to support him, and you voted for him. I came here during the presidential campaign, and you voted for me and defeated Bola Ahmed Tinubu in this state. For me, I can’t forget that.
“For me, I have come today to you again to vote ADC. This is because I can assure you that ADC is different from APC, Accord and all other parties. The best of Nigerians are today in ADC; I am appealing to you that in the next governorship election you should vote ADC.”
In his remark, Aregbesola restated that the party was not in alliance or negotiation talks with any political party ahead of Saturday’s governorship poll.
Aregbesola said the ADC is genuinely committed to the welfare of the people, disclosing that government must be about service, opportunity, and restoring confidence in leadership.
Recalling programmes introduced during his administration between 2010 and 2018, which he said were designed to put people first, Aregbesola said the ADC governorship candidate will bring back all his laudable programmes if elected on Saturday.
He added that the ADC will reintroduce school feeding across public primary schools and expand other social intervention schemes abandoned by successive governments.
“We invested in healthcare, social welfare, and emergency response systems like O-AMBULANCE. We introduced O’YES for youth empowerment, O’MEALS for school feeding, and O’REAP for agriculture. These and many more laudable programmes will be back under Iwaloye,” Aregbesola said.
He stressed that good governance should be a continuum and that beneficial programmes must not be discarded because of political differences.
Aregbesola described the party’s candidate in Osun as the face of continuity, urging the electorate to choose him as the next governor to lead the state.
According to him, Salaam’s agenda includes re-establishing O’YES to employ 20,000 youths, reviving the O’MEALS school feeding programme, expanding mechanised agriculture, and investing in rural infrastructure and technology.
“This election is about the future of Osun. Quality education, youth opportunities, farmer prosperity, and a government that truly serves the people,” Aregbesola said.
Addressing the gathering after receiving the flag of the party, the ADC gubernatorial candidate promised that his government would prioritise the wellbeing of Osun people.
Salaam said all sectors would be improved upon, warning that the party would not allow any form of rigging in the poll.
The ADC candidate also promised jobs for 20,000 youths in his first 100 days in office.
“On Saturday, nobody will be allowed to rig us out. What they did in Ekiti State will not happen here. If we win the election, I want to tell you that our electricity will be stable. We have a solution to that, and it is a promise.
“Education from the primary to the secondary school for our children will be free, and we will also ensure that we have a committee that will review the tuition fees in our higher institutions with a plan to bring it down.
“Children from age 1 to 18 will have access to free medical treatment in a well-equipped government hospital. Our pregnant women will have free treatment. Our elders and widows will be taken care of,” Salaam said.
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