Osun governor says minister’s “A maa gba lowo e” remark threatens the integrity of Saturday’s governorship poll.
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has condemned a remark attributed to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, alleging that it amounted to a threat to the integrity of the August 15 governorship election.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke reacted to Oyetola’s reported comment, “A maa gba lowo e,” which translates to “we will snatch it from him.”
The governor described the statement as an open threat to the electoral process and called on national and international democracy organisations to closely monitor developments ahead of Saturday’s poll.
He said the people of Osun would resist any attempt to undermine their constitutional right to freely choose their leaders.
The governor also defended his endorsement of President Bola Tinubu, saying it demonstrated his political strength and ability to mobilise votes for the President in Osun State.
He accused Oyetola of undermining President Tinubu’s political standing in the state, alleging that the minister’s comments could further damage the image of the President and deepen the APC’s unpopularity among voters.
According to Governor Adeleke, the alleged threat to “snatch” the election amounted to an indication that the APC lacked confidence in its ability to win through the votes of Osun residents.
The minister has made a mockery of innocent Accord members who were killed and maimed by APC thugs in cold blood in the last two months. He has told the world that he is pushing to deny the people their rights to vote and be voted for, Adeleke said.
He insisted that Osun voters would reject any attempt to manipulate the election, expressing confidence that he would secure re-election through the ballot.
The bad news for the minister is that Osun people are determined to resist his sadistic agenda. Our people rejected him in 2022, and they will reject his surrogate candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, next Saturday, he said.
Governor Adeleke added that his administration was confident of victory based on what he described as widespread support from voters.
We are winning this election by the grace of God and the mass support of the people. We will be re-elected by the choice of the voters, not by snatching their democratic rights, he said.
The governor urged democracy advocates in Nigeria and the international community to pay close attention to developments in Osun State, stressing the need to protect the credibility and integrity of the August 15 governorship election.