Osun Election: Material inducement won’t decide outcome — APC chieftain Oyintiloye

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Osun State, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has said material inducements will not determine the outcome of Saturday’s governorship election.

Oyintiloye said competence and credibility would play a more decisive role as voters prepare to elect the next governor of the state.

The former lawmaker who stated this while speaking with journalists in Osogbo on Friday, said money, bread, rice and other items offered to voters might influence some people temporarily.

According to him, acceptance of such materials does not necessarily mean that recipients will vote for the candidates or parties that provided them.

“Osun people are intellectually sophisticated, politically conscious and highly educated. Voters are increasingly concerned about issues that would affect their future,” the APC chieftain said.

He said the electorate desire a government that can provide quality healthcare and education at all levels, as well as good road networks and employment opportunities.

Oyintiloye also listed economic empowerment and inclusive governance among the issues he said voters would consider when deciding which candidate to support.

“These are issues that directly affect their future, and I believe they will weigh them carefully when making their choices at the polls,” he said.

The APC chieftain said voters could accept money, rice, bread or other materials offered during election campaigns while still exercising their constitutional right to choose their preferred candidates.

He said the ballot remained personal, stressing that voters could make their final decisions based on their conscience and assessment of the candidates contesting the election.

“For me, the competence, credibility, capacity and track record of a candidate will matter far more than temporary inducements,” he said.

Oyintiloye urged voters to look beyond immediate material benefits and support candidates they considered capable of providing sustainable and meaningful dividends of democracy.

He maintained that although money and other material inducements might form part of the political activities surrounding elections, they would not, on their own, determine who emerges victorious in Saturday’s Osun governorship election.