Why I stayed away from Osun governorship debate —PDP candidate, Adeleke

The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) nominee for governor in the upcoming election in Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, said that his busy campaign schedule prohibited him from attending the governorship debate on Wednesday.

On July 10, four candidates for the role of governor of the state faced off against one another in a televised debate about their plans for the state if elected.

Participants in the discussion included Yusuf Lasun (Labour Party), Goke Omigbodu (Social Democratic Party), Akin Ogunbiyi (Accord), and Governor Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Mr. Adeleke was “on his way” and would join before the debate’s finale, which lasted just over two hours, according to Arise TV, the event’s organizers.

The PDP candidate failed to appear.

In a statement issued on Thursday by his media aide, Oluwole Rasheed, the PDP candidate said he was out in the villages and local governments campaigning while the debate was ongoing.

It read, “On Wednesday, the candidate returned late to Ede from rural campaigns to towns and villages which insisted on hosting the gubernatorial flag bearer to directly listen to details of his five-point agenda

“The candidate also used the local tour on Wednesday to meet opinion leaders and sectoral groups with special submissions on what they expect from a PDP government if elected into office.

“The governorship candidate thanked the people for the special meetings, noting that meeting the people was the most important thing in a campaign, where he had the opportunity to brief them on his five-point agenda.”