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From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
A viral video showing politicians making residents swear with the Bible before receiving cash to vote for Governor Ademola Adeleke in the upcoming August 15 governorship election has sparked widespread reactions across Osun State.
The video, originally obtained by Saturday Sun, features individuals wearing the yellow caps of the Accord Party addressing residents in a community suspected to be in Ijesaland.
In the footage, a man in a yellow cap explains that they are former members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who recently defected to the Accord Party.
He guided the residents on how to identify the Accord Party on the ballot and accounts for the source of the distributed funds.
“There is no PDP in Osun again. They prevented him from getting the PDP form, which is why we moved to Accord. When we were doing registration, we were PDP; now we are Accord. Look for the first logo at the top. Please, do not play a double game.
“Those of us who came here swore with our children, households, and families before collecting this money we brought here,” the man said.
Another man, accompanied by two women holding cash, administered the oath, instructing the women to repeat after him: “For the election of Demola Adeleke, I pledge to be faithful and do what you want. If I fail to deliver, all curses in the Bible should be mine. But if I vote for Ademola Adeleke, all joy, blessings, and favor in the Bible should be mine.”
Reacting to the development, the Osun State APC Governorship Campaign Council expressed deep concern, describing the vote-buying scheme as crude, dastardly, and morally reprehensible.
Engr. Oluremi Omowaiye, Head of the Media and Publicity Committee for the campaign council, said the incident reflects political desperation and an assault on democratic values.
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“The emergence of these videos has further confirmed what is already obvious to every discerning observer: that Governor Ademola Adeleke sees the unmistakable handwriting of defeat on the wall.
“Having failed to convince the people with his record in office, he has now resorted to frightening vulnerable citizens into pledging supernatural allegiance,” Omowaye said.
The APC further criticized the administration over the economic hardship in the state, drawing parallels to a previous distribution of twenty thousand naira to civil servants.
The party urged security agencies and election observers to investigate all forms of voter inducement and coercion ahead of the August 15 poll.
In a swift counter-response, Hon. Bamidele Salam, Chairman of the Media Committee for The Imole Campaign Council, dissociated Governor Adeleke from the video, branding the APC’s stance as “laughable and defeatist.”
Salam stated that the campaign council is examining the authenticity and source of the video, emphasizing that the governor has never authorized, directed, or endorsed any oath-taking activity.
“Governor Adeleke is a democrat who believes fundamentally in the freedom of citizens to make political choices according to their conscience. He does not need oaths, threats, intimidation, or any form of coercion to secure the support of the people of Osun State,” Salam said.
Accusing the opposition of running a poor campaign strategy, Salam maintained that the governor’s re-election bid rests entirely on his administration’s performance in infrastructure, healthcare, and education.
“The APC should stop looking for excuses in unverified videos and begin preparing for the verdict of the Osun people on August 15,” he added.
