Osun State Governor State, Senator Ademola Adeleke has identified free and fair elections as the best way to honour the memory of the acclaimed winner of the June 12 Presidential election, Bashorun MKO Abiola and other democratic heroes.

Describing free and fair elections as the lifeline of any virile democracy, Gov Adeleke acknowledged the sacrifices and struggles that paved the way for the civil rule being currently enjoyed in Nigeria in a statement to commemorate Democracy Day.

He called on politicians in the country to submit themselves to upholding the tenets of democracy by respecting the will of the people.

According to the governor, the political class must recommit to strengthen the country’s electoral system to deliver credible elections and ensure that the will of the people is not subverted.

Calling election rigging an act of war, Gov Adeleke said, “our best homage to our democratic heroes is our continued upholding the basic tenets of democracy. Such include free and fair elections and observance of rule of law.

“We cannot at one hand celebrate democracy day and on the other hand undermine the democratic machine. You cannot be applauding the great memories of the late Bashorun Abiola and at the same time be working against free and fair elections.

“I call on leaders locally and nationally to re-dedicate ourselves to democratic ideals. The will of the people freely expressed must be accepted by genuine democrats. Our electoral system must be strengthened to deliver credible elections. Under no circumstances should the will of the people be subverted.

“Free and fair elections are the lifeline of any virile democracy. Politicians must grow to know and accept that power flows from the people. Rigging elections is an act of war against democracy. Genuine democrats accept electoral verdicts as a mark of respect for the voters, the ultimate holder of sovereignty. That’s what I did in 2018 when I was denied victory.

“If there is any lesson June 12 every year is to teach us, it is that democracy thrives when electoral candidates bow to people’s will. We must stop being autocratic in democratic garb.

“If you are rejected at an election, take it in good faith and prepare for the next round of election. After all, Abraham Lincoln failed several polls before his eventual emergence as American president.”

The sour taste of governance in Nigeria cannot be blamed on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) alone, with the opposition failing to rise to the putting them on their toes to deliver the people by democratically ousting bad leaders from power.

This is the view of former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, who took to his verified X handle to decry that though the APC had failed in the last nine years of being in the driving seat at the federal level, it left much to be desired that the opposition had looked on ‘helplessly’ with no capacity to move a pin.

According to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, “the opposition political parties are even more guilty than the ruling party for the seeming lack of capacity to come together and galvanize a coalition that will retire the ruling party and articulate a plan of good governance that will earn the conviction of Nigerians.”

He lamented that the democratic governance has failed the citizenry in that “our democracy is not yet virile if it continually fails to deliver the promises of prosperity and liberty to the people.

“However, the past nine years has thrown up a regime of extreme hardship manifested in excruciating poverty and unprecedented levels of violence and insecurity upon our people. Sadly, the ruling All Progressives Congress is to blame for bringing forth this dawn of gloom.”

He enjoined the political class to rally to ensure that the fruits of civil rule are reaped by the populace.

He wrote, “The secondary purpose of declaring every June 12 as Democracy Day in our country is to commemorate the history of our long journey of becoming a stable democratic country. Truth be told, there’s no substitute to democracy as a form of government.

“Whereas our current democratic dispensation is a quarter of a century old, it will not be out of place to pay tributes to the sacrifices made by many patriots, chiefly among them Basorun MKO Abiola and his beloved wife, Alhaja (Mrs) Kudirat Abiola, Tafida Shehu Yar’Adua and Alfred Rewane, among many others.

“The historical timeline of the struggle that birthed this democracy is abundant with a series of coalitions and alliances amongst the political leaderships of that era to flush away the vestiges of military and dictatorial governance in order to return power to the people.

“It is commendable that for 25 years, we have witnessed an uninterrupted season of electoral politics. It is an unprecedented epoch in our history.

“It is worthy of celebration and commendation must go to the people of our great country. I must also congratulate the political class for having embraced the rectitude of nurturing a democracy, as well as the civil society. It is important that all stakeholders continue to do their bit to ensure the sustainability of our democracy.

“But our democracy is not yet virile if it continually fails to deliver the promises of prosperity and liberty to the people.

“However, the past nine years has thrown up a regime of extreme hardship manifested in excruciating poverty and unprecedented levels of violence and insecurity upon our people. Sadly, the ruling All Progressives Congress is to blame for bringing forth this dawn of gloom.

“But the opposition political parties are even more guilty than the ruling party for the seeming lack of capacity to come together and galvanize a coalition that will retire the ruling party and articulate a plan of good governance that will earn the conviction of Nigerians.”

“Today, the failings of the opposition parties to uphold the functionality of their existence is the major threat to our democracy. The earlier they realise that the fortunes of Nigeria lies in their forging a coalition, the better it will be for our country and the people.”

In his drive to boost local economy and alleviate hardship among the citizenry, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke has disbursed cash backed cheques running into several millions of Naira to cooperatives societies at Ife and Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituencies.

Addressing a mammoth crowd of cooperative members on Tuesday, at Ile Ife City Hall and Ijebujesa town hall, Gov Adeleke said the funds being disbursed to the local cooperatives were designed to support grassroots businesses and ensure financial inclusion for the vulnerable segments of the society.

The disbursement which came as the state government announced the commencement of distribution of federal and state rice to reach every segment of the society, which drew wild applause from members of the cooperative movements in both federal constituencies.

While the Commissioner for Cooperatives and Empowerment, Bayo Ogungbangbe said this is the first time the cooperative movement would be so supported, Gov Adeleke disclosed that the Federation of Osun State Cooperatives and the 332 Ward based Cooperatives were beneficiaries of the disbursement.

The Ooni of Ife, imperial Majesty, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaaja the Second applauded the initiative describing it as “a strong way to reach the grassroots’ small businesses.

According to the royal father, the cooperative approach will boost the local economy and provide much needed funds for the small business operators to thrive and survive.

Addressing beneficiaries at Ile Ife and Ijebujesa, Gov Adeleke said “we are here in pursuance of financial inclusion for artisans and local businesses” adding that “our administration is determined to financially empower our grassroots traders” as “the cooperative platform provides the best path to achieving our agenda on financial inclusion.

“You would all recall that the first Osun State Cooperative Summit was held in January,2024. Part of the fall out of the summit was our government’s declaration that a sum of One Billion Naira would be released to the cooperative sector. My government is implementing that decision as can be attested to by stakeholders.

“The cooperative sector in the state comprises the Federation of Osun State Cooperative Limited (FOSCOOP) and the newly established Ward Based Cooperative societies. In effect, there are now a minimum of about 332 Ward based cooperative societies in Osun State all of which have received about One Million Naira each.

“To date, the amount of loans released to the Federation of Osun State Cooperative Limited (FOSCOOP) is about Seven Hundred Million Naira (N700.000,000). The loan disbursement is being handled in batches.

“Our government had earlier signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Federation of Osun State Cooperative Limited. The MOU provides a strong framework for the sustainability of the loan scheme. We reaffirm our resolve to complete the loan disbursement and even expand the coverage in the near future.

“Aside from the push for financial inclusion through the cooperative movement, our government is also deepening training of cooperative professionals. The more we produce trained professionals, the more the capacity of our cooperative societies to survive and thrive.

“We have released funds for the rehabilitation and upgrade of the Odeomu Cooperative College. Work is presently ongoing. I hereby further direct the Ministry of Cooperative and Empowerment to ensure proper linkage between the College and the state universities. This will deepen the capacity of the College through academic exchanges in relevant fields.

“We are here to directly present cash backed cheques to beneficiaries across the wards. I urge those targeted for this phase of the loan disbursement to invest it judiciously in their businesses. I advise that you start somewhere or add the fund to your existing businesses.

“Our government will be following up. We promise to reward beneficiaries who grow their businesses from this exercise. We will not relent in our support to grow the local economy through financial inclusion”, Gov Adeleke posited.