I'm Not Afraid Of Osoba and His SDP, Says Amosun

Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun said yesterday that he was not 'jittery' about former Governor Olusegun Osoba and his prediction that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) would garner about 500,000 votes for its governorship candidate, Senator Akin Odunsi, in the February 28 poll.

Amosun wondered what 'magical stunt' Osoba wanted to pull to enable SDP win half a million votes in the state when it was obvious that he or his party do not command such support.

He challenged the ex-governor to name the party's presidential candidate.

The governor said the changes made in lives and communities in the last 43 months coupled with the facelift of the state would ensure his re-election, the Nation reports.

Amosun, who spoke through the Director of his campaign organisation, Bode Mustapha, at a briefing in Abeokuta, the state capital, said he was drawing the world’s attention to Osoba's boast of 500,000 votes.

According to him, some politicians were capable of playing sundry "tricks", hence the alarm so that the "forthcoming general elections are not rigged by anybody or party."

He said: "What kind of mysterious, magical stunt does Chief Osoba have under his hat that will automatically produce a half-million votes out of nothing, when the world knows that neither he nor his party possesses the support to command even a fraction of such votes from any ward in the state.

"Ideally, the former governor should be patient enough to test his popularity at the polls.

"Here is a party, the SDP, that could not even garner marginal support from its campaign at the Itoku Market among other parts of the state capital. Perhaps there are high and mighty plans underhand to rig these elections."

Amosun promised that the new Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) proposed by his administration would be created after next month’s elections.

According to him, the LCDAs would be in full operation on or before May 30 as necessary steps had been taken for their creation.

The governor, who made this known yesterday at his campaign tour of Yewa North Local Government Area, said financial constraint accounted for why the planned LCDAs creation had not been effected.

He said his administration planned  to create about 30 LCDAs  in addition to the existing 20 local governments.

Amosun said: "We have concluded plans on the creation of the Local Council Development Areas. It would have come before today, but due to some hitches, which is mainly, finance. But I can assure you now that we are more than ready.

"Most states have like 30, some are 40 and you need to see these states, they are half of Ogun State.

"To enable our people  benefit more from the good governance we are witnessing now in the state, it is very important that we create the council areas.

"I can’t say off hand now how many we plan to create but I can tell you that we will have something around 50 altogether after creation.

"We would have done it now, but some people may say it is politically-motivated, I want to assure you that by March 1, we will announce the names of the local council areas because I have the assurance that by the special grace of God and with the support of our people, I will return to office to continue the good work I have started."