The African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate for the August 15 governorship election in Osun State, Dr. Najeem Salaam, has reiterated the unwavering commitment of his party to ensuring accountable and people-centered governance if elected as the Governor of the state.
Salaam said he is ready to take governance to the grassroots and ensure that every citizen has access to quality public services and modern infrastructure.
He gave the assurance during a visit by the British High Commission in Nigeria to his campaign office at Aregbe Area, Osogbo, on Wednesday.
He said “my party is the most serious and committed to the advancement of democratic practice in Nigeria and all over the world and for that reason, we have always been moderate in our approach and doings in the party. ADC is a people-centred party. We are for the people and we have shown the people what matters to us most is their wellbeing and welfare and that is why we are always talking about what we are going to do, not what we can offer now.
“Other political parties have been trading. The highest bidder has been given money out. Of course, we should know that as a party, we don’t have a godfather, we so much believe in God and the electorate of this state. People in other climes where you come from, where we all visited, winning an election will be based on your activities and programme for the people. But in the Nigeria context, they are trying to change it and by doing so, they are buying the voters all around.
“As we have written in our manifesto, 24-hour electricity is sacrosanct when the people voted for me. Education and healthcare services will be free in Osun. We have also proposed a monthly stipend for our senior citizens and People with Disabilities. Farmers and women in Osun will also be empowered. These are part of what we have written down in our manifesto,” he stated.
Speaking further, Salaam sought the intervention of the international community on the current state of democracy in Nigeria, describing the situation as worrisome.
According to Salaam, Nigeria is gradually returning to the military era in view of the ongoing political intimidation across the country.
The governorship candidate, while citing numerous court cases against the opposition parties in the country, noted that democracy in Nigeria is supposed to have advanced but retrogressed as the voice of the electorate does not count anymore.
According to him, “ADC has always been in and out of fault. Some powerful people do not even want us to survive. This is Nigeria; they don’t want contests and the beauty of democracy is contest. It is the right of the electorate to choose their best but Nigeria all they wanted is a sole party. They are turning it to more or else a military era where the voice of voters and electorate does not matter. That is why they have been dragging us up and down and I want international observers to really look into this.
“Democracy in Nigeria ought to have advanced more than this level because we have been in it for a long time but instead of advancing, we are going backward because an individual just wants to be crowned as the president or as the governor, they don’t want to go into election. The situation is worrisome and disturbing and by that, the electorate too are well disturbed.
“We want the voice of the international community to be very fair and address what needs to be addressed. The election process matters because it will lead to election but whatever we are doing now will have effects when the election comes proper. I am appealing to you sincerely, do not leave Nigeria to it. The democratic setting that would advance society should come to play in Nigeria. They should live and let us live.
“This year is supposed to be the last hope for the masses and we are battling with different judgments day in and out all with political undertones. They do not want us to practice democracy the way it is supposed to be. They want to dictate and be a dictator all the time,” he stated
He assured the delegation of his party to maintain peace before, during and after the election.
“I am assuring you that from our end that we are committed to a fair and peaceful election and we will do our utmost best to make sure people’s voices are heard come August 15, 2026,” he concluded.
In his welcome address, the ADC Chairman in the state, Alhaji Isa Adesiji, said the party is ready to take the leadership of the state.
“We are people of peace and we are ready to take the leadership of the state. We implore you to encourage the election umpire, the INEC and the security to play fair in the coming election. We have been going round to tell the people what we have for them when we win the election without any violence. The ADC members are loving people and we are for the people of Osun,” Adesiji said.
Earlier, Mr. Wale Adebanjo, the Senior Political Adviser at the Commission, said they are in the state to engage key political stakeholders and to observe the preparation of political umpire ahead of the August election.
Adebanjo explained that the team listens to the concerns of political parties, explores ways to address them in the best interest of the state and the entire political system.
