DAMISI OJO, Akure
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has urged people in the Southwest region not to compromise democracy in their quest for development.
According to him, the Southwest must enhance and protect the rights of its citizens to vote and be voted for, stressing that the region should be the bastion of free and fair elections in Nigeria.
In his presentation at the Southwest Summit organized by Afenifere and DAWN in Akure, the Ondo State capital, the Osun helmsman said, “We must avoid the temptation to rig elections as the consequences have never been palatable.”
Adeleke said the rights of the people, as expressed through the ballot boxes, must be respected, stressing that this is the minimum condition for sustainable growth and development of the Southwest.
He said, “There can be no shortcut to respect for people’s will. From there, we get good governance which entails equitable delivery of services, respect for the rule of law, and constant observance of the constitution as the ground norm for the Republic.
“Osun State has a lot to share within the framework of true federalism, positive interaction between national and subnational entities, as well as corrective lessons the federation should embrace to reset and perfect democratic practices. This is especially in the all-important dynamics of collaboration and engagement between the centre and the federating units.”
“The Osun scenario manifests a subsisting infraction and trampling on the expressed rights of the subnational entity by the national authority. There is an ongoing wilful breach of the constitution to deprive a subnational entity of its due rights simply because it does not belong to the same party as the ruling party at the centre.
“If we are to study and review the state of engagements between the centre and the states, Osun therefore provides extensive data on how not to treat a subnational entity in a truly democratic environment.
“Osun State, right from the inception of my administration in 2022, designed a robust engagement agenda with the centre. I issued a standing instruction to all ministries and agencies to treat all correspondence from the federal government or its agencies within 24 hours. I further directed robust attendance of Osun State officials at all federal events.
“All requests for data from federal levels are responded to within 48 hours, even as Osun is deliberately involved in all peer reviews any federal agency organises. We set out as a government to deepen federal–state partnership across the real sector of the economy, as well as in the soft areas including fiscal governance.
“From 2022 to date, Osun holds the record of constant participation and mention in critical federal reports. Interestingly, our state won quite a number of medals in national sectoral reviews organised by the Federal Government. I am happy to announce that our state is ever ready to host federal sectoral events. From 2022, we have hosted more than 12 of such events, all in our bid to demonstrate willingness for partnership with the centre.
“In the area of real sector collaboration, our government took up reconstruction of some federal roads. Up till date, we are still struggling to get a refund. We sought to facilitate the take-off of many federally abandoned projects; we met brick walls. Our olive branch to enhance collaboration is clouded by political partisanship actively promoted by operatives of the ruling political party at the centre.”
The Osun State governor noted that, over time, partisan considerations have become the yardstick for federal interactions with Osun State — a development that threatens to fracture intergovernmental relations.
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