Outcome of Osun Poll: Buhari’s Commitment to Build on Democratic Tenets No Longer in Doubt, Says Clark

* Congratulates president, INEC, IGP, others over poll’s success   

*Adeleke cautions Oyetola, allies against looting, diverting state assets

Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Emameh Gabriel

Leader of Pan Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF), Chief Edwin Clark, has said for allowing a free and fair election in Osun State, President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to building on the democratic tenets of the country was no longer in doubt.

He, therefore, commended the president, National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu and the Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Usman Baba, and other security agencies for discharging their responsibilities professionally during the election.
This is as the Osun State Governor-elect, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has warned outgoing Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and his allies against diverting and looting public properties and assets of the state.

In a statement, the former federal commissioner, who berated the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu and the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, over comments on the outcome of the election, urged the president to continue in his new found spirit of conducting credible elections.

The statement read: “I wish to commend Mr. President, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, on the peaceful conduct of the Osun State election. As leader of a governing party, he was magnanimous enough to congratulate the winner in an election in which his own candidate was defeated.
“I also wish to commend him for his excellent statesman position. President Buhari ‘described the outcome of the elections as an expression of the will of the people through ballot, which must matter and be respected.’

“The President reassured the nation that his ‘government’s commitment towards having credible elections remained unshaken.’ This is indeed a legacy, which must be protected by the APC desperados, who must endeavour to maintain and keep this legacy.

“My commendation also goes to Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He is man of integrity, conviction and courage. He has no doubt improved on his work over the years, and more importantly, over his predecessor in office, Prof. Attahiru Jega. Nigeria is proudly looking forward to a more brilliant performance in the 2023 general election. I pray the Almighty God will definitely reward him justly for this service.
“I must not at this juncture, fail to mention the brilliant performance of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Alkali Baba, who ensured that his officers and men deplored to Osun State conducted themselves professionally. Same commendation also goes to other security agencies.”

Clark, who congratulated the winner of the election, Senator Adeleke, and the people of Osun State “by defying the ambitious and inordinate charge of the leadership of the ruling party, expressed disappoinment over what he described as ‘crass statement’ credited to the National Chairman of the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, when he inaugurated the 86-member of the party’s National Campaign Council for the Osun State Governorship election.

Adamu was quoted in the statement saying: “We must be prepared to face him eyeball to eyeball. There is no sparing for any reason whatsoever, no sparing his party the PDP….No apologies to anybody, we are the party of government. We are the party ruling the country today. no apologies to anybody….”
The former PDP scribe said such statement was enough to justify how ruthless a politician Adamu was, citing how hostile he was to Buhari in their CPC days.
His words: “Senator Abdullahi Adamu’s unguarded statement did not come to me as a surprise, because I have known him since 1979. I was the National Co-ordinator for the Minorities of the South and the Middle Belt, so on several occasions, I had cause to interact with him. He is a very ruthless and an aggressively ambitious politician.

“At the time, late Ibrahim Mantu, wanted to contest for the Chairmanship of the Plateau State chapter of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). Abdullahi Adamu wanted to crush Ibrahim Mantu, but we resisted. It was also during this period that he (Abdullahi Adamu) was able to push himself to become the Chairman of the NPN in Plateau State.

“I also heard from reliable source that Abdullahi Adamu was very hostile to Muhammadu Buhari during one of his (Muhammadu Buhari’s) Presidential campaigns under the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). In fact, the then Senatorial Candidate of the CPC, Gen. Ahmed Aboki, rtd, was maltreated during the period.
“To Abdullahi Adamu, the political party he belongs to and himself, are greater than Nigeria as a country and Nigerians. I am, therefore, not surprised that he did not accept the result of the free and fair gubernatorial election held in Osun State, even a day after the result had been announced. What a shame! The only surprise, I will like to express here is that I thought ageing would have changed him.”
However, Adeleke, while reading riot act to his soon-to-be predecessor, alerted the general public to the clandestine moves to convert public properties to private ownership and bankrupt state finances ahead of change of government.

In a statement by  Mallam Olawale Rasheed, spokesperson to Governor-elect, made available to THISDAY said, “The attention of the office of the Osun State Governor-elect, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has been drawn to unwholesome criminal activities by some government functionaries and appointees under the watch of Governor Gboyega Oyetola, directed towards pilfering of state assets, conversion of public assets into private ownership, illegal awards of licences and incurring of superfluous loans and expenditure.

“We have it on good authority that Osun state assets within the state, Kogi, Lagos, Abuja and outside the shore of the country are being tampered with for private acquisition. We have detailed reports of several properties currently being processed for ownership transfer involving serving commissioners and top government officials, hence serious warning to those involved in the illegal deals.
“Aside N17 billion loan allegedly taken by the governor to prosecute the lost election, we are inundated with credible reports of emergency contract awards, hurried processing of payments vouchers and a grand agenda to incur further debt under the guise of project implementation. There is an elaborate plot to further bankrupt the state to complicate governance under the new administration.

“We want to use this medium to warn all those involved in this criminal endeavour to desist from these nefarious activities as we will hold everybody accountable for their conduct. Let it be known to the Governor and his team that we have the complete records and inventory of Osun State assets. We are in possession of records of what was handed over to the Governor by his predecessor as well as true state of Osun finance and properties. Therefore, we put on notice that any attempt to divert state properties and muddle up Osun finances will be visited with full measure of accountability.”