ISIAKA ADELEKE CRIES OUT. My life at risk

The candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the Osun governorship election, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has raised alarm over the several threats to his life ahead of rerun of the Osun Poll on Thursday, September 27, 2018.

According to a report by Vanguard, Adeleke has written a letter to several diplomatic missions in Nigeria, including the European Union and United States, alleging that his life has been under threat since he started campaigning for governor.

In the letter, he claimed that he has escaped four assassination attempts on his life which remains under threat.

The election that originally took place on Saturday, September 22, 2018, was declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday, September 23.

This was because the victory margin of 353 votes of first-placed Adeleke(254,698 votes) over second-placed Gboyega Oyetola (254,345 votes) of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) was less than the 3498 votes cancelled in seven polling units in Orolu local government area (3 polling units), Ife South LGA (2), Ife North LGA (1) and Osogbo LGA (1).

With a rerun election set to take place on Thursday, Adeleke expressed his frustration with INEC’s decision to not declare him the winner. He accused the commission of stealing his votes and inflating the votes of the APC in what he called an assault on democracy.

The letter read, “I am constrained to write this letter to intimate you, our diplomatic partners and friends of despotic happenings in Osun governorship polls which I won but for which I was not declared the winner. My life is under threat and leaders of my party are under siege before and after Saturday’s main polls.

“During the campaigns, we were subjected to countless attacks. I escaped about four assassination attempts. Our campaign vehicles were severallly attacked and our rallies disrupted. We went through the pre-election process under constant onslaught from political thugs and merchants of violence.

“Despite the violence prone climate, I still won the election. On live television, our votes were removed and protestations for re-addition of the votes were rejected.