2027: PDP, NNPP Defections ‘Immaterial’, Governors Can’t Stop Nigerians From Choosing Their Leaders-Aregbesola
Ahead of the 2027 General Election, former governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola submitted on Tuesday that the upcoming elections will serve as an opportunity for Nigerians to choose their leaders while adding that those who are occupying positions of authority cannot stop the people from choosing the leaders they want.
Team@orientactualmags.com learned that Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who said this while giving his speech during the launch and public presentation of Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi’s memoir, ‘The Loyalist’ in Abuja, also asserted that Nigerians will decide who should be their leaders and not the governors while describing recent PDP, NNPP defections as immaterial.
Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is the ADC National Secretary while Mallam Bolaji Abdulahi is the National Publicity Secretary of the party.
The ADC National Secretary, a former Minister for Interior, noted that what is important is for the ruling APC to ensure free and fair elections next year.
‘I still want to say something more. Something is going on that is worrisome, especially for those of us who are Democrats or aspiring to be general Democrats. They say the fact that certain governors are defecting to the APC shows that our unity (ADC leaders) is weakened. I laugh because recent statistics in Nigeria, based on the outcome of the last election, do not support this belief. Let them commit to a free and fair electoral process. We will then see if it is true.
The second point is a scenario where I want to use results from two zones—just two zones—to show that when a party controls a state, it may not necessarily translate to votes. I want to use the results from the Southwest and Southeast. In the Southwest, the APC controlled all but one state. Despite this, the party’s maximum performance in that election was 55%, with the other parties sharing the rest.
The same applied in Lagos. The APC candidate lost his ward, local government, and state. So, please, for goodness sake, where is it claimed that governors win elections against the people’s will? That is the Southwest.
In the Southeast, the result is even more striking. The APC had only 5.8% of the total vote from that zone. I’ll stop at that. The results of these two zones clearly show that governors do not win elections—the people do. What we require from the government overseeing the election is a commitment to a free and fair process. So, first commit yourself to a free and fair election, and let us see what the result will be. That’s what we’re asking’ he added-Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079, 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com. Thank you
