Osun 2022: Adeleke, PDP accuse Oyetola of refusing access to rally venues

Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola has been accused of restricting access to the Osogbo City Stadium and Freedom Park, Osogbo for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) final rally.

This allegation was made by Ademola Adeleke, the PDP gubernatorial candidate in the Saturday, July 6, Osun gubernatorial election on the sideline of the National Peace Committee peace accord signing by gubernatorial candidates and their political parties in Osogbo on Wednesday.

Adeleke, while levelling the allegation, revealed that he requested from Governor Oyetola his consent to make use of either the Osogbo City Stadium or Freedom Park for the PDP mega rally.

Adeleke stated that the use of either venues for the rally became necessary because of the calibre of guests and party bigwigs expected in Osogbo.

According to him, “For our mega rally, we are expecting PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and some Governors. I won’t tell you the names of the governors that are coming.

“PDP National Campaign Committee for Osun election is showing commitment to this campaign, but we have been denied access to the stadium and Freedom Park.”

Meanwhile, the Osun State Government has denied the allegation.

Speaking for the government, Funke Egbemode, the Osun Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation explained that the venues had been approved for other programmes prior to the request by Adeleke and the PDP to use either of them.

The PDP mega rally would hold on Thursday, July 14, 2022 and many PDP governors and Atiku Abubakar, former vice President and gubernatorial candidate of the party have arrived Osogbo in readiness for the rally.

The APC had held its own mega rally on Tuesday, July 12, 2022 at the Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo.

Both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been having a running battle in the run-up to the Osun gubernatorial election, which will hold on Saturday, July 16, 2022.

Both parties have also accused each other of orchestrating attacks against their party members and of also being the cause of violence in some areas of the State.

In 2018, both Ademola Adeleke of the PDP and Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of the APC contested in the gubernatorial election, with Oyetola coming out victorious after a rerun election in some local government areas.

The electoral victory of Oyetola in 2018 has not gone down well with the PDP and Adeleke who view it as a stolen mandate.