Breaking News

Osun begins Interview for shortlisted Teachers across the State | Governor Adeleke on Condolence Visit to Akinlalu, Says Culprits to Face the Law. | Governor Adeleke Tasks Political Class on Delivery of Good Governance. | I am not under any administrative bail of EFCC for diverting local govt funds under Ex Gov.Aregbesola or for any other offence – Oluomo Kolapo Alimi. | No N300m Scandal in Osun Government – Adeleke’s Spokesperson. | Akinlalu Killings: Governor Adeleke Commends Police Investigation, Canvasses Rule of Law. | GOVERNOR ADELEKE FELICITATES ALAWO OF AWOLAND ON HIS BIRTHDAY. | YOU ARE A RARE GEM”, GOVERNOR ADELEKE HAILS CoS, AKINLEYE. | GOVERNOR ADELEKE MOURNS PASSING OF EX-DIPLOMAT, DR. CHRISTOPHER KOLADE AT 93. | Banditry: Governor Adeleke Speaks on Osun Internal Security: | ADELEKE VOWS TO APPREHEND AND PROSECUTE THE PERPETRATORS OF AKINLALU’S KILLING. | GOVERNOR ADELEKE CELEBRATES PRINCE KOLAWOLE ADEWUSI ON HIS BIRTHDAY | Osun Government Says Governor Adeleke did not Grant Clemency to a Murderer, Accuses Insightinks of Peddling Fake NewsOSOGBO-4/10/2025 -Osunstate.gov.ng | GOVERNOR ADELEKE GREETS EX-DEPUTY SPEAKER, LASUN YUSUF AT 65. | Governor Adeleke Orders Full Investigation into Akinlalu Incident, Despatches Government Delegation. | GOVERNOR ADELEKE CELEBRATES GENERAL ALANI AKINRINADE AT 86 | Governor Adeleke Grants Amnesty to 36 Convicts to Mark Nigeria’s Independence Day. | Nigeria @ 65: Governor Adeleke Harps on Rule of Law & True Federalism. | GOVERNOR ADELEKE CELEBRATES REP SALAM AT 56. | GOVERNOR ADELEKE MOURNS PASSING OF ARISE TV ANCHOR, SOMTOCHUKWU MADUAGWU. | GOVERNOR ADELEKE MOURNS PASSING OF GRAND KHALIFAS OF TIJANIYAH IN OSUN AND KWARA
osun-speaker1
Webmaster August 5, 2014

Why Osun Poll Will Not Be Like Ekiti – Salaam, Osun Speaker

osun-speaker1Mr Najeem Salaam is the  Speaker of the House State House of Assembly. In this interview, Salaam maintains that the outcome of the Ekiti State governorship election will not have any impact in Osun State. The Speaker also chided the Federal Government for allegedly stifling  the state by deducting it’s allocation. Excerpts:

How do you respond to President Goodluck Jonathan’s remarks that his party, the PDP, will reclaim Osun State?

Well, people are entitled to their opinions. As a politician and as president who belongs to a political party, he is entitled to his own opinion. He can say whatever he wants whichever way he wants to say it. But that is not the reality on ground in Osun state.

That will also lead me to react to what the Vice President, Namadi Sambo said that the man who came through the back door, will surely go through the back door. He was referring to the judgement of a competent court as a back door judgement. That is the implication of what he is saying. It is a bad signal he is sending to the judiciary and to the country.

President Jonathan has a right to speak on. Behalf of his party, but he should be mindful and careful of what his utterances in order not to cause chaos.

What effect do you think the Ekiti poll will have on Osun governorship election?

It does not have any serious impact in Osun State as far as we are concerned but it boosted the ego of the PDP. The PDP knows that Osun is unlike Ekiti State. What the governor has done so far will give our party victory on August 9. We know and the PDP knows that Ekiti and Osun states differ and the outcome will be in our favour.

Are you not worried over the growing level of attacks at the campaign rallies?

I am worried because of the violence that the PDP has introduced to the campaign rallies. I am also worried when the candidate of a political party is being guarded by masked persons. That is not democracy.

Look at the number of troops deployed to Ekiti State and from what we are hearing, they want to double the troops to be deployed to Osun state.

Are you kicking against the use of troops deployment for the August 9 elections?

Yes. We do not need it. What we are saying is that we have soldiers at Ede, they can make use of those rather than importing troops and security personnel into the state. If troops are imported, no one will detect real or fake soldiers.

In the constitution of our country, the only person who can declare curfew in a state is the governor unless there is a serious crisis. We are not at war, we are only preparing for elections. Why should they say people should not move from Friday, August 8 till Saturday night. Movement should not be restricted, they should not unnecessarily heat up the polity in Osun state.

But there have been insinuations that some members of your party have been using the State Boys to cause mayhem?

I have not seen where the State Boys were used to cause mayhem in the state.

But some members of the State Boys were arrested after a rally at Ilesha?

Those that were arrested were coming from a rally, they were not involved in any vice, they were stopped and picked up by the security agencies. Let me tell you that the plan of the PDP is to implicate some APC leaders in order to get them arrested.

Your party has raised an alarm over a plan to assassinate the governor.

In every rumour, there is an element of truth. Not only the governor, most of us have been listed.

Have you made any formal report to the Police?

We are waiting because we do not know what is wrong with the system. We do not know who to report to, we do not know who to trust or who can secure you. One is scared to report.

The government has been accused of not doing any new basic infrastructure?

People that are blind cannot see what we are doing. If one is blind, he or she will not see the development going on in Osun State. There is no local government in this state that does not have a tarred road inspite of the meagre resources we have.

Not minding the dwindling allocation to the state, we are moving on. We have managed to pay salaries and execute developmental projects. The federal government does not give us money because they do not want us to perform, all in the name of politics.

That is against the principle of true federalism. We have been denied funds to uplift our people. Some people are jittery because Aregbesola is performing.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *