By Julius Peter
The Osun State governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dr. Najeem Folasayo Salaam, has raised concerns over alleged vote buying, intimidation and violence ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in the state.
Salaam, who spoke with journalists on Friday, said the political atmosphere surrounding the election had raised serious concerns about the ability of voters to freely participate in the electoral process.
He alleged that some political actors were deploying money and other inducements to influence voters, claiming that large sums were being distributed across the state ahead of the poll.
According to him, violence and intimidation have no place in a democratic election, stressing that voters should be allowed to freely choose their preferred candidates without fear or coercion.
“Election has never been a war front, but it has turned into a war front in the Nigerian situation,” Salaam said, while appealing to political parties and their supporters to maintain peace and allow voters to exercise their constitutional rights.
The ADC candidate said his party was not in a position to compete financially with parties with access to greater resources, but maintained that the ADC was relying on its programmes and policy proposals to win the confidence of voters.
He said the party’s 10-point agenda included free education for pupils in primary and secondary schools, free medical care for children between one and 18 years, free healthcare for senior citizens aged 70 and above, free antenatal services for pregnant women and free meals for pupils in primary schools.
Salaam also identified stable electricity as part of the party’s development agenda, saying the policies were designed to improve living standards and stimulate economic growth across the state.
Meanwhile, the ADC governorship candidate raised concerns over the accreditation of the party’s polling agents, alleging that agents in 10 local government areas were yet to receive their tags despite having their names uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) platform.
He described the situation as unacceptable and urged INEC to urgently address the matter before voting begins, stressing that all participating political parties should be adequately represented at polling units.
On reports of possible alliances involving the ADC, Salaam dismissed claims that the party had resolved to support another candidate, describing such comments as the personal opinion of the individual concerned.
He insisted that the ADC remained committed to its own candidate and was focused on securing victory at the poll.
“We are contesting and, hopefully, if everything remains the same, we are going to win this election,” he said, expressing confidence that the ADC could spring a surprise at the polls.
Salaam also appealed to Nigerians and the international community to encourage all political actors to shun violence, intimidation, vote buying and other practices capable of undermining the credibility of the election.
