The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate in the coming Osun State governorship election, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has explained why he was absent at the debate held for governorship candidates on Sunday.
The debate was aired on Channels Television with Adeleke conspicuously absent.
But in a statement issued on Monday, the Director of Media and Publicity, Ademola Adeleke Campaign Organisation, Mr. Olawale Rasheed, explained that Adeleke was absent at the debate because of the need to address people on his campaign tour.
According to him, he was held back by people who insisted that he must address them.
The statement reads: “It is important to state from the onset that Senator Adeleke was indeed prepared to attend the debate. The plan was to proceed to Osogbo immediately after his campaign tour of Ijesha and Ile Ife zones. We communicated as much to the organisers of the debate.
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“However, from one village to the other, rural voters blocked the campaign train, insisting the candidate must address them. From Ilesa zone to Ile Ife zone, the rural visitation dragged late into the night. It would have been politically suicidal to ignore voters who trooped to the road, insisting the candidate must address them.
“We communicated regularly with the organisers on the above development while the campaign train was streamed live on social media. Senator Adeleke and the campaign team eventually reached Osogbo around 11 pm.
“The campaign schedule has been very tight in addition to the frequent attacks by opposition thugs. We find it necessary to satisfy both urban and rural voters as we are all stakeholders in the electoral process.
“Senator Adeleke is today moving to Iwo zone in a voters’ mobilisation that is unprecedented in Osun’s political history. We reassure the people of Osun State that the PDP candidate is ever open and willing to market his six point agenda. This he has been doing and will continue to do until the day of election.”
