Osun 2022: Don’t allow them to rig you out again, Atiku tells PDP, residents

Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has told supporters of the party not to allow the All Progressives Congress (APC) rig them out this coming election in Osun State.

Abubakar made the pronouncement while addressing the mammoth crowd at the grand finale of the campaign for the governorship candidate of PDP at the secretariat of the party located at Biket Area, Osogbo on Thursday.

BusinessDay recalls that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared 2018 Osun state governorship election inconclusive with Ademola Adeleke of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leading by 353 votes which INEC later said was less than 3,498 cancelled votes and ordered for rerun election that eventually produced the incumbent governor, Adegboyega Oyetola of All Progressives Congress (APC) as elected governor of the state then.

But, speaking with the residents of the state and PDP leaders and members to guard against rigging, Atiku said, “Don’t allow them to rig you out again. They rigged the last election, but this coming Saturday it’s your responsibility to take your vote and return Senator Ademola Adeleke as the governor of Osun state.

“Osun is PDP state, vote and protect your vote. Don’t allow them to rig you out so that you will not go back to darkness.”

Read also: 2023: How desperation drove APC, PDP to jettison equity, justice

Also speaking, the National chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, urged the electorate to vote for Adeleke on Saturday, saying that there is darkness in the state and that only the PDP candidate can make a change.

Duoye Diri, Chairman, PDP Campaign Committee, who is also the governor of Bayelsa state, noted that the Saturday governorship election is not only for Osun alone but for Nigeria.

He then appealed to the electorate to vote for Adeleke and vote out poverty, illiteracy, hardship in the land which the APC represents.

In his short remarks, Ademola Adeleke, PDP governorship candidate, promised to bring development to the rural areas of the state if elected.

Adeleke said, “We are going to bring back local governments and give them autonomy, they have killed grassroots, we will go back to the days of Awolowo. We are ready to retrieve our vote.”