Oyebamiji Making Fake Promises to Osun People- TICC

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The Imole Campaign Council has accused the Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of making fake promises at the party’s campaign flagoff.

The council in a statement by its Spokesperson, Pelumi Olajengbesi stated that while every candidate is entitled to present a vision, the people of Osun deserve more than what it described as beautifully packaged promises adding that it is rather ironic that those who had the opportunity to govern Osun under the APC for years are now campaigning on projects they failed to deliver when they were in power.

The statement stressed that the people of Osun are politically conscious adding that they understand that elections are not won by eloquent speeches but by verifiable performances adding that Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration has demonstrated that governance is about delivering tangible results rather than making empty declarations.

The statement said “The Imole Campaign Council (TICC) has taken note of the campaign flag-off of the APC governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, where he promised “equitable development” and made several commitments on roads, schools, markets, healthcare, agriculture and the welfare of civil servants if elected.

“While every candidate is entitled to present a vision, the people of Osun deserve more than beautifully packaged promises. They deserve honesty, accountability, and a credible record.

“It is rather ironic that those who had the opportunity to govern Osun under the APC for years are now campaigning on projects they failed to deliver when they were in power. The promises being made today are, in many respects, an admission that the previous APC administration left critical sectors requiring urgent intervention.

“The people of Osun are politically conscious. They understand that elections are not won by eloquent speeches but by verifiable performances.

“Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration has demonstrated that governance is about delivering tangible results rather than making empty declarations. Across infrastructure, workers’ welfare, education, healthcare and social interventions, the administration has consistently shown commitment to inclusive governance and people-centred development.

“For instance, during Oyetola’s tenure, there was no health insurance for pensioners and persons living with disabilities. Also, the hazard allowance for health workers wasn’t paid for four years. Adeleke, within three years, enrolled over 24,000 pensioners and over 10,000 PWDs into the health insurance scheme. He also cleared all the arrears of the hazard allowance owed health workers by the Oyetola administration, rehabilitated over 200 primary health centres across Osun, making the state emerge first in PHC awards in 2024 and 2025.

“The Adeleke administration also disbursed over N2bn to cooperative and small business owners, distributed N250,000 grants to over 15,000 businesses.

“Adeleke also reduced domestic debt from 148bn left by Oyetola to N83bn, recruited over 2,000 teachers and built over 300 new classrooms, provided support for over 8,000 farmers, some of them got as high as N8m each. The achievement of Adeleke in rapid construction and infrastructure are visible even to the blind. This is equitable governance.

“It is therefore surprising that the APC candidate now speaks of equitable distribution of resources, having emerged from a political tradition that many Osun residents associate with uneven development and policies that generated widespread public dissatisfaction.

“Under Bola Oyebamiji’s supervision of the state’s finance, Osun experienced one of its worst economic conditions as public resources failed to count for the people. Welfare of workers and pensioners were treated shabbily while public infrastructures were left to rot away without any serious efforts to fix them.

“It is therefore nothing but a mere voter’s drive for Oyebamiji to be promising Osun people the same thing his party failed to do in the past. Osun people, particularly workers and pensioners cannot forget in a hurry the deluge of unfulfilled promises associated with the APC in the past, especially the audio promotion and payment of owed salary.

“The promise to rehabilitate roads, renovate schools, revive healthcare, empower farmers and support civil servants raises a simple question: What prevented the APC from accomplishing these objectives when it controlled the machinery of government? Logically, campaign should be a platform to remind the people of what has been done for them in the past as a guarantee of what to come in the future, but Oyebamiji could not point to anything significant that was done by either him or his party, particularly in Ile-Ife, hence the resort to empty political rhetoric packaged as promises.

“Campaign promises must be measured against historical performance. Osun voters cannot be expected to ignore yesterday’s record simply because it has been repackaged into today’s manifesto. While Oyebamiji is standing in Ile-Ife throwing words that are largely packaged lies, the first-ever flyover and dual carriageway and other notable projects already delivered by Governor Adeleke in the cradle of Yoruba race are visible to all and sundry.

“Furthermore, while the APC candidate accused the present administration of deception, the people of Osun are capable of judging for themselves by comparing the visible transformation taking place across the state with the conditions inherited by the current government. Political rhetoric cannot erase observable realities.

“The Imole Campaign Council wishes to remind the APC that governance is a continuum. It is easy to promise magnificent markets, modern hospitals, quality schools and improved welfare during campaigns; it is much harder to explain why such aspirations were not realised when the APC had the opportunity to implement them.

“Rather than resorting to grand declarations, the APC should first render an honest account of its stewardship in Osun and explain why many of the developmental challenges it now identifies were allowed to persist under its watch.

“We also urge all political actors to embrace issue-based campaigns, civility and democratic engagement throughout this election season. It is noteworthy that Governor Ademola Adeleke, through his representative, participated in the recent Peace and Accountability Charter initiative, reaffirming his commitment to peaceful and issue-based politics.

“As the August 15 gubernatorial election approaches, the choice before the people is clear: A government with a demonstrable record of delivering projects and putting the welfare of the people first, or a party asking for another opportunity based largely on promises after years in which many of those same promises remained unfulfilled. Osun deserves continuity of progress—not a return to a cycle of unfulfilled promises.

“The Imole Campaign Council remains confident that the good people of Osun will once again vote for competence, continuity, stability and inclusive development.”