Dare Babalola
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has congratulated Professor Chukwuma Soludo on his landslide victory in the Anambra State governorship election, emphasising the need to respect the people’s mandate as expressed through the ballot.
In a statement signed by the governor’s spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, on Monday, Adeleke said Soludo’s re-election is a testament to his good performance in the last four years.
He said, “I warmly rejoice with my brother, Prof. Soludo. His re-election is a reflection of his good performance in the last four or so years and the deep love the people of Anambra have for him, his style of governance and his service to the people. The outcome is a confirmation that free and fair election is possible when true democrats superintend the electoral process.
“As we have always canvassed, the bedrock of a sustainable democracy is free and fair elections where the choices of voters are respected. We must sustain the tempo by ensuring that electoral robbery is outlawed for the sake of our democracy. We must sanction any politician threatening to or engaging in electoral robbery.
“Power flows from the people. The people reserve the right to pick their leaders. That is what we call democracy, a government of the people, by the people and of the people. Democracy is not voters’ intimidation, vote rigging, electoral violence and thuggery in all forms.
“Democracy is about ballot papers, ballot boxes and free environment for the citizens to cast their votes. You cannot force yourself on the people in a democracy. The people are the bosses and they chose who presides over the affairs of their states.
“I also commend the leadership of the electoral commission under Prof Amupitan. This is a commendable start to his tenure as electoral chief. The nation expects so much and we urge the commission to further deepen electoral reforms to resolve outstanding areas of challenges.”
He added that every stage in the electoral life of a nation is about history making and leaders are making history at every point of the way, urging the political class to recommit to electoral transparency and accountability as a mark of respect for the constitution and the people.
Recall that the Soludo was declared the winner of the just-concluded election on Sunday by the State Collation Officer and Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, Prof. Edogah Omoregie, after he polled 422,664 votes.
