Osun 2018 governorship poll: Speaker warns LG chairmen against intimidation

The Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Najeem Salaam, has warned local government chairmen against intimidating wards and council delegates to serve their interests preparatory to the 2018 governorship election in the state.
Salaam gave this warning on Saturday at a meeting he held with the All Progressives Congress stakeholders in Otan Aiyegbaju, Boluwaduro Local Government Area of the state.
He said that intimidation and coercion would create an atmosphere of political imbalance capable of engendering lack of trust in government.
The speaker said that it would not be healthy for some council chairmen to threaten their parliamentary colleagues with stoppage of their entitlements unless they align with certain interests in the governorship race.
Salaam said: “If the House of Assembly can approve the entitlements of the council political officials without blackmail to seek party delegates’ votes, then it is uncomplimentary and unjust that some council chairmen would be threatening some of their parliamentary colleagues suspected to have different opinions on the forthcoming APC shadow election in the state.
“No single aspirant can win general election, the poll can only be won through concerted effort, but if manipulation is suspected, then chances of the party at the general election are also threatened.”
Salaam warned further that any council chairman found to be coercing delegates in his or her council or seizing entitlements of anyone because of his political belief would be sanctioned.
He assured the party stakeholders to freely choose aspirants of their choice, saying the era of using instrumentality of office to cow free born citizens had gone, promising that the state parliament will redress any case of injustice.
Salaam, who is also a governorship aspirant, told the party stakeholders that his only agenda if voted to office was to ensure the provision of adequate security.
He said that security of lives and property, education, employment, food and health as well as communal participation in governance, would be his priorities if he became the state governor.