The governorship candidate of the Africa Democratic Congress (ADC), Najim Salam, has declared himself the frontrunner in the upcoming Osun State election, scheduled for Saturday, August 15.
The election will determine the next governor to lead the State of the Living Spring for the next four years.
Salam made this assertion while appearing on “Politics Today,” a program monitored by the Nigerian Tribune on Monday night in Abuja.
The former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly will compete against incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord party and Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressive Congress (APC), among other candidates, for the position at the Bola Ige House at the Abere State Secretariat in Osogbo.
He referred to Adeleke and Oyebamiji as his juniors in politics and emphasised that his 10-point agenda is designed to transform the state. Salam highlighted that his administration will prioritise the welfare of workers and retirees.
He dismissed being labelled as a protégé of former Governor Rauf Aregbesola, asserting that he intends to run the campaign on his own terms.
As a grassroots politician, Salam is committed to winning in all local government areas and described himself as the credible alternative that the people of Osun have been waiting for.
“People in Osun know where they are going. And I’m telling you right away that I’m the candidate to beat. I’m ready to win this election. And the people of Osun have shown that they are going with us.”
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When asked where his votes will come from considering that ADC is seen as a third party in the race after Accord and APC and are already firmly rooted in the state, Salam said, “It is the people that build the party not the other way round. And some of us that have been in this ADC as a political party, we’ve been around for long. We know what the structures or the parties mean and we know how to go about it. We’ve been doing these for years. Those that belong to other people that you are seeing, they are learning from us. When Generals are playing the game, others will be looking at it. We know the game and we play it the right way. We are in to win this election. I’ve moved round the state and I’ve talked with the people, the traditional rulers, the market women and I know what they want. They prefer us to the two parties you mentioned. On Saturday you’ll see the result of the election.”
On being referred to as Aregbesola’s stooge and will dance to his (Aregbesola) tune if he becomes governor, Salaam noted that “Just because I know that people are very myopic in their thinking, moving around the state, the local governments and the traditional rulers, I’ve been doing it all alone by myself without Rauf Aregbesola to let people know my worth. That I know what I want and I know what I want to do in government. Ogbeni Aregbesola joined this campaign not quite long, I can say like three or four times that he joined us.
“So, on my own, I can stand. I read Political Science in the university up to PhD level. I know what it means and I’ve been in the political things… I started from grassroots as a supervisory councillor in a local government. I was in the House of Assembly and another time I was there as the Speaker of House of Assembly. I know the job. The fact that I belong to the same party that Rauf is does not make me to be a dullard, does not say I shouldn’t do things my own way. Whoever that knows Rauf should know that he is the person that leaves you to do your own thing. You go your own way, your own decision, do it the way you want it. He doesn’t dictate for anybody. I’ve worked with him and I know the kind of person he is. I have the 10-point agenda that I will lay my hands on when I have the opportunity of serving the people of Osun State.”
On gold deposit in Atakumosa Local Government Area of the state, the ADC governorship candidate said the mineral will be used to improve the living condition of the people in the area and, by extension, increase the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), adding that his government will consider building a gold processing company in the state where raw gold are extracted and serve as employment of labour.
He, however, promised that if he wins the coming election, he will not fail the people of Osun, saying his will be a government that people will appreciate and will forever etch in their memories even after he must have left office as governor.
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