Osun rerun: Adeleke writes EU, US, cries out over threat to his life

Ademola Adeleke

The undeclared winner of last Saturday’s Osun governorship election, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has written to diplomatic missions in Nigeria, raising alarm over threats to his life and a clampdown on his supporters, ahead of Thursday supplementary polls.

In the letter already depatched to diplomatic missions and made available to DAILY POST, Adeleke catalogued the many infractions in the last Saturday polls.

They included the refusal of INEC to declare him the winner in line with the constitution, the killing and maiming of his supporters, the arrest of key leaders on trumped up charges and the manipulations of the electoral process.

In the letter already depatched to diplomatic missions and made available to DAILY POST, Adeleke catalogued the many infractions in the last Saturday polls.

They included the refusal of INEC to declare him the winner in line with the constitution, the killing and maiming of his supporters, the arrest of key leaders on trumped up charges and the manipulations of the electoral process.

“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 court of law.

“Not satisfied with that rape of democracy, the ruling, APC immediately launched a coordinated manipulation agenda to rig the Thursday supplementary polls. Voters register of affected areas are been doctored; unclaimed voters cards are been shared out; massive vote buying are ongoing;and my supporters are been hounded. Democracy is clearly under threats.

“The agenda of the ruling party is to ensure that votes do not count. The target is to thwart the will of the people. The APC is out to subvert the will of the people ,an action that will have deeply negative impact on the sanctity of the electoral process ahead of 2019 polls,” Adeleke said in the letter.

He then called on the international community “to prevail on President Muhammad Buhari to allow votes to count by restoring my mandate”, adding “We count on you to mount pressure on the ruling party to restore people’s mandate in Osun state.

“We make this request because Osun state is the cradle of Yoruba people. Denying them their inalienable right to pick their governor is a potent threat to democratic sustainability in Nigeria. Our nascent democracy has been under intense pressure and it is not in our collective interest to deepen the national stress index.

“We seek your intervention to prevent another rigging underway in Osun state. I am the holder of the sacred mandate of Osun people. We need the international community to assist Nigeria to make votes count,” he said.

The letter was sent to European Union, United States and several diplomatic missions in Nigeria and the United Nations.