We are not afraid that our victory will be challenged by APC - Osun PDP Chairman

• Says Adeleke has no godfather and won't be checked at the office

Dr. Adekunle Akindele is the interim committee chairman of the Osun State branch of the People's Democratic Party (PDP). In this interview with SEYE OLUMIDE and TIMOTHY AGBOR, he delves into what the party did differently to win the July 16 Governor's election, why Governor-elect Senator Ademola Adeleke will not lead a proxy government as widely speculated in some quarters and how Osun's election is evidence of the party's nationwide rebound ahead of the 2023 election.

How do you view the victory of the PDP in the just-concluded election? It is magnificent, and we are delighted and very happy with the result. We thank God for the success; it was a hotly contested election and the party had actually prepared well for it. When I officially arrived on April 9, 2022, the first thing I said to all our members and stakeholders was that I was here to deliver the distinguished Senator Ademola Adeleke and also win the election for the position of governor of our party. It became a reality on July 16, 2022. We wasted no time; we established our program, defined our strategies and got off to a flying start. We campaigned vigorously and were able to travel to every nook and cranny of the state, interact with our people, listen to their pains, and sell our candidate and our manifestos. From indications at each stage where we arrived, we discovered that our candidate is well accepted and liked by people. They were eager to vote for him.

So it wasn't a difficult task to sell Senator Adeleke to the people? Yes, because of his background. He is someone who keeps his promises. Everything he said he wanted to do for his people while campaigning for the Senate by-election, he did and they attested to it. He promised 250 million scholarships, he did it. He promised to give the slaughterhouse a generator to keep their meat in Iwo, he did. He bought transformers and he did a lot more for people. They knew him as a man of integrity and his words, so it was very easy for us to sell him to the electorate. You could see the frenzy when we staged our mega rally; the whole city was cordoned off.

What were some of the concerns of people that you discovered during the campaigns and perhaps the shortcomings of the outgoing government? There is a gap between the outgoing government and the people. You could see there was a high level of decadence regarding the provision of basic necessities. For example, primary health care closest to the grassroots has been neglected despite the huge amount of money that was released to them - around $20 million when Professor Isaac Adewole, the former Minister of Health was to the government. They weren't working; no personnel and equipment. Then pensioners were not paid and most of the schools built under the government of Olagunsoye Oyinlola were in a very deplorable state. Most of the backcountry students have their classes under the tree (we have the pictures).

What are some of Senator Adeleke's campaign promises? Her manifestos are largely focused on welfare: prompt payment of wages, development of infrastructure as all roads are in poor condition, bringing direct investment to the State, works on the airport which was abandoned and agriculture. He spoke about security, empowering the Nigerian Police and other state security agencies by providing tools that will make their work more effective. As soon as we are sworn in by November 27, you will begin to see the dividends of our election victory.

Some have expressed concern that Adeleke could lead a proxy government to bring those who backed him to power. How do you react to this? Senator Adeleke is an independent-minded person; I don't think anyone can control it in the office. He has his mindset and whatever he wanted to do for the state, I don't think he's going to do it through anybody. He's not like someone who has a godfather. He's not like someone whose part of him is in Osun and part of him is in a Southwestern state. He is someone who cannot be controlled.

There were internal crises in the PDP before the elections. How were you able to overcome them? To some degree when we came on board those competing interests and factors were there, but it was an ongoing engagement of interest groups and we were able to manage some of them. To a reasonable extent, we were able to integrate them such that we were able to pursue the election as a united group. You know, you can't go to an election or a war with a house divided.

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