ABUJA – Factional National Chairman of Accord, Prof. Chris Imumolen says President Bola Tinubu’s conduct, restraint and democratic disposition contributed to Gov. Ademola Adeleke’s success in the recent Osun governorship election.
Imumolen stated this in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, while reacting to comments attributed to the Spokesperson for Adeleke campaign organisation, Pelumi Olajengbesi.
Reports that Olajengbesi was quoted as attributing Adeleke’s victory in the election solely to Osun voters and the governor’s record in office.
Imumolen, however, faulted Olajengbesi’s assertion, saying that it deliberately reduced Tinubu’s role to whether he openly campaigned or deployed federal power for Adeleke.
He noted that support in politics was not limited to standing on a campaign platform or openly mobilising votes for a candidate.
According to him, sometimes, leadership is demonstrated by what a leader deliberately refuses to do.
Imumolen added that the president had demonstrated democratic restraint by remaining neutral, even though the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate was contesting the election.
“He did not turn the election into a personal battle. He did not deploy the power of his office to intimidate the opposition. Instead, he allowed the people of Osun to make their choice.
“That, in itself, is a significant contribution to the credibility of the electoral process,” he said.
He also cited the president’s intervention regarding the Osun government’s account and his reported communication with Adeleke prior to the official announcement of the election results as clear examples of statesmanship and democratic maturity.
“Imagine what would have happened if the president had decided to use every available instrument at his disposal against Adeleke simply because the governor was contesting against the president’s party.
“Instead, the president maintained his democratic disposition,” he stated.
Imumolen said that Tinubu’s decision to maintain neutrality encouraged political actors, traditional rulers and citizens to participate without fear of federal intimidation.
“Many people who eventually engaged in the political process did so because they saw a president who was prepared to respect the democratic choice of the people, even when that choice did not favour his party,” he added.
Imumolen explained that Tinubu’s action did not suggest that he campaigned for Adeleke or financed his campaign.
He, however, said that it was remarkable for a sitting African president to maintain such non-interference when his own party’s candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, was in the fiercely-contested election.
“It is therefore misleading for anyone to reduce the president’s role to the question of whether he personally offered campaign materials, funds or political structures to Adeleke,” he said.
Imumolen advised political leaders to learn to distinguish between partisan support and democratic statesmanship.
He also cautioned against political revisionism, urging the governor’s camp to acknowledge the peaceful atmosphere provided for the poll.
“Leadership is not only about what you do for your friends. Sometimes, it is about what you refuse to do to your opponents.
“Adeleke may have won because of the votes he received from Osun people, but nobody should rewrite the circumstances under which those votes were allowed to freely determine the outcome.
“President Tinubu could have chosen confrontation. He chose restraint. He could have chosen partisan warfare. He chose democracy. That should be acknowledged, not denied,” he said.
Imumolen said that victory should make a leader magnanimous, not revisionist, adding that Tinubu respected the democratic process in Osun.
“That fact should not be diminished simply because Adeleke emerged victorious,” Imumolen submitted.(NAN)
