Adeleke writes to UN and EU saying his life is under threat as APC wants to win in Osun at all costs

SENATOR Ademola Adeleke has written to the European Union (EU) and the United Nations informing them that there have been threats on his life as Osun States holds a re-run of last Saturday's gubernatorial election in seven polling stations.

Last Saturday, Osun State went to the polls to elect a governor and in what was a cliff-hanger of an election, Senator Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured 254,698 votes, while Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola of the APC got 254,345 votes. Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec), declared the result inconclusive because it had cancelled 3,498 votes in seven polling units located in Osogbo, Orolu, Ife North and Ife South local government areas as a result of irregularities.

Today, the re-run is taking place and Senator Adeleke has already complained about the conduct of the election, saying his supporters are being denied voting material as the APC seeks to win by all costs. He has also alleged that there have been threats on his life, so has written to the UN, EU, US and several diplomatic missions in Nigeria to bring the matter to their attention.

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Rasheed Olawale, the Adeleke Campaign Organisation, spokesperson said that the letter also highlighted many infractions in the last Saturday polls, and the refusal of Inec to declare Senator Adeleke the winner in line with the constitution. It also raised the issue of the alleged killing and maiming of Senator Adeleke's supporters, the arrest of key PDP leaders on trumped-up charges and the manipulations of the electoral process.

Senator Adeleke said: “I am constrained to write this letter to intimate you, our diplomatic partners and friends of despotic happenings in Osun governorship polls which I won but for which I was not declared the winner. My life is under threat and the leaders of my party are under siege before and after Saturday main polls.

“During the campaigns, we were subjected to countless attacks and I escaped about four assassination attempts. Our campaign vehicles were severally attacked and our rallies disrupted and we went through the pre-election process under constant onslaught from political thugs and merchants of violence.

“Despite the violence-prone climate, I still won the election. On live television, our votes were removed and protestations for re-addition of the votes were rejected, while votes for the ruling party were jerked up and again the electoral umpire refused to correct the arithmetical errors.

"After all the manipulations which saw about 4,000 votes removed from my total votes, I still won by close to 400 votes. In a brazen assault on democracy, the returning officer, in open breach of the constitution refused to declare me the winner even after fulfilling constitutional stipulations.

"The officer erroneously justified declaration of the election as inconclusive based on violence in seven out of about 3000 voting units across the state. It was a travesty of justice that is under challenge in the court of law.”