Gov Adeleke Opens up on Osun Election

I Saw Hell During Osun Governorship Election” – Adeleke
by Osundefender
The first civilian Governor of Osun State, Isiaka Adeleke in this interview with some journalists, including Asst. Editor, Sam Anokam, spoke on his ordeal at the just concluded election in the state: 
Q: Why did it take you this long to discover that you were in the wrong party?

A: I am not saying I was in the wrong party, the day I was crossing over I said that the PDP is not that bad but the leadership of the party in Osun State is what I cannot understand. I said we still have nice people in the PDP. I cannot condemn PDP because I rose on the platform of that party to become a senator, Chairman, Governing Council, Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, University of Calabar. Having got such positions on the platform of that party, I cannot say now that the party is totally bad, no, but individuals that hijacked the leadership of the party in the state are bad. Honestly, I cannot work with them. If I had remained in that party as a core party man, I will be forced to work for them and for the success of that party and I don’t want criminals again in the house at all.
Q: Are you saying that if the leadership in Osun State changes, you might return to the PDP?
A: That condition has not arisen but I am now in APC and APC has won. I contributed immensely towards the success of the party. I don’t see myself going back to the PDP now.
Q: Some people are of the opinion that you were bought over by the APC.
A: No, there’s nothing like that. It was based on principle. Period! If I wanted anything, I could as well have got it in PDP. If I had stayed with PDP, with those people that have hijacked the party in the state, definitely, they would have won and become this and that. We don’t want such characters in Osun Government House. I am satisfied. I worked relentlessly and tirelessly for the success of the party and ensured that those individuals did not get to government house.
Q: Let us look at the issue of militarisation during elections. When it happened in Ekiti, the APC shouted, and when it happened in Osun, they also shouted but the election turned out free and fair. What is your take on this?
A: What I witnessed in Osun a week to the election was hell. I thought the SSS are secret service and are not to be seen. They are supposed to detect crimes and hand over criminals to the police for prosecution but these guys have turned themselves into thugs. The first day they came, I saw them with masks, standing on top of their vehicles and shooting sporadically in the air into scare people, what was that intended to do? Then, the police were not doing much but the soldiers too joined. We have a barracks in Ede. I was confined to Ede after the Tuesday mega rally, a couple of days to the election.