Don’t truncate democracy, Makinde warns APC as Adeleke swears-in Osun LG chairmen

•Poll triumph of democracy – PDP

From left, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde; Bauch State Governor and Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, Mohammed Bala; Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke and Former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, during the swearing-in of the newly elected Osun State local government chairmen in Osogbo, Osun State, yesterday .

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

Oyo State Governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) not to truncate democracy by resorting to self-help on Local Government administration in Osun State.

He gave this warning yesterday, during the swearing-in of the 30 newly-elected Local Government Chairmen, stating that the APC should not exploit federal might to truncate democratic processes.

He congratulated the newly-elected chairmen, charging them to deliver dividends of democracy to their people and justify the confidence reposed in them.

Governor Makinde, who was in Osogbo with the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum chairman and Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed, said they were in attendance at the swearing-in event in solidarity with the Osun State governor, Senator Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke.

Makinde noted that the APC could have a court judgment, it should follow the due process to implement such judgment and not go through the backdoors or unlawful means, adding that lovers of democracy would not want a resort to violence, which made the South-West earn the appellation of ‘Wild Wild West’ in the past.

“Let me congratulate the newly-minted chairmen and chairpersons of all the 30 Local Government Areas of Osun State.

“Don’t forget the promises you made to the people during your campaign. This is an opportunity for you to deliver to the people at the grassroots level. My prayer is that with the support of your governor and the state government, you will deliver.

“For some of you, this will be your stepping stone to higher positions, because the reward for hard work is more work.

“The chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and I decided to come here to witness this momentous occasion and to show solidarity with the government and the people of Osun State.

“Recently, we were in Lagos for the South-West Governors’ Forum meeting. We had PDP and APC governors from the South-West in attendance. We came together in the interest of our zone to tackle those problems that are common to us and our expectation is that we would have the support all the way to the top, because the essence of governance is to deliver the goods to the people in our various states and zones.

“So, when events started unfolding here in Osun State to the extent that lives were lost, we felt that we should come around and sound a note of warning. We are all students of history and we know what the South-West Region went through that made people tag it ‘Wild Wild West’ back then and we do not want that again.

“We just want to peacefully deliver the dividends of democracy to our people. So, nobody should resort to self-help. Even if you have a court judgment, there is a process; let the process go through.

“You cannot say that because you have the so-called federal might, you want to truncate the process. This is a federal arrangement.”

Meanwhile, the PDP has hailed the Osun State government for the conduct of its local government election, describing it as a triumph of democracy.

The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba,yesterday, said the opposition party’s victory at the council polls was a reflection of its acceptance by the people.

The statement read in part: “the success and outcome of the free, fair, transparent and credible Local Government election conducted by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) is a resounding triumph of democracy, the Rule of Law, Constitutional Principle of true federalism and the Will of the people of Osun State over the All Progressives Congress (APC) anti-democratic forces that sought to illegally and forcefully take control of their State.

“Our Party salutes the people of Osun State for the courage in asserting their sovereignty and Constitutional right by coming out enmasse to vote in the election despite the vicious attempt by the APC to intimidate them and subvert the democratic process.

“The PDP further asserts that its sweeping victory across the 30 Local Government Areas in the State in spite of the machinations of the APC is in further demonstration of PDP’s political supremacy in Osun State, the South West geo-political zone and across the nation.

“Moreover, the PDP’s overwhelming victory in the election comes as the people’s response to the outstanding achievements of Governor Adeleke in his massive delivery of life-enhancing infrastructural, citizen empowerment and human capital projects in all critical sectors including power, healthcare, education, road construction, water resources, agriculture and food production among others in line with the manifesto and policy thrust of the PDP.

“The PDP congratulates and charges the newly elected Osun State Local Government Chairmen and Councillors to be guided by Governor Adeleke’s vision so that the people at the grassroots will continue to enjoy the dividends of his people-first policy direction in governance.’