Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani has lambasted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) over what he described as the party’s lack of commitment to its candidate in the just-concluded Osun State governorship election.
Sani, in a post on his Facebook page on Sunday, faulted the ADC for allegedly failing to provide adequate support for its National Secretary and former two-term Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, during the campaign.
According to him, the party’s poor showing at the polls, where it finished a distant third, reflected the consequences of abandoning its candidate at a critical stage of the contest.
Sani contrasted the ADC’s approach with that of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which he said deployed its top leaders and political machinery to Osun State in a determined effort to secure victory for its candidate.
Despite the APC’s aggressive mobilisation, however, the party was defeated in the election, with Governor Ademola Adeleke emerging victorious.
The former senator also took aim at the ADC’s reaction to the outcome, accusing the party of attempting to associate itself with Adeleke’s victory despite its own poor performance and limited support for its candidate.
“APC top shots went to Osun, stood by their candidate and lost.
“ADC left their National Secretary and former two-term Governor in Osun to struggle alone, and finished a distant third,” Sani said.
According to him, the ADC had demonstrated a similar attitude in previous governorship elections in Edo, Anambra, Ondo and Ekiti states, arguing that the party had failed to translate its political ambitions into electoral victories.
He further claimed that the ADC had not won any by-election since its emergence, using the record to question the seriousness of the party as a political platform.
He accused the ADC of attempting to “latch on” to Adeleke’s victory while avoiding discussions about the performance of its own candidate in Osun.
“The ADC want to latch on Adeleke’s victory and don’t want to talk about their candidate in Osun,” he said.
To him, the conduct of political parties during elections provides voters and observers with an indication of their level of seriousness and commitment.
“If you are in politics, you will not have problems in knowing who are serious and who are not,” he said.
