Idara Jerome

Osun State Governor and Accord Party governorship candidate, Ademola Adeleke, has vowed not to interfere with the operations of the state police if established, saying anyone who commits an offence would be made to face the law regardless of their relationship with him.

Adeleke said this on Tuesday during a governorship town hall organised by ARISE News ahead of the August 15 Osun State governorship election.

The governor, who said he believed in the rule of law, dismissed concerns that governors could use state police for political purposes, insisting that he would not interfere with its operations.

He said, “All this one they are saying that the governors will interfere, they will use the opportunity, I’m not that kind of governor. I have the fear of God, and I promised my God I would be fair to people.”

Adeleke added that even if his son committed an offence, he would allow the law to take its course.

“If it is my son, because I’ve trained them very well, that committed offence, he will go and face the law, I’m not going to bend for anybody, that is me,” he added.

The governor also said he supported the establishment of state police, recalling that he was the one who introduced the idea while serving in the Senate.

“I believe in the state police, when I was in Senate, I was the one that introduced the state police,” Adeleke said.

He said if state police were established in Osun State, the force would be expected to perform its duties effectively, particularly in protecting lives and property.

On infrastructure, Adeleke defended his administration’s road projects, saying he had constructed about 350 kilometres of roads across Osun State.

He said his administration had also fixed roads that had been abandoned for several years, citing the Otan-Ayegbaju – Iresi road as an example, adding that the road had been abandoned for about 45 years before his administration fixed it.

Adeleke said good road networks were particularly important to Osun because of the state’s dependence on agriculture.

“In Osun State, we are farmers. If we don’t have good roads, how are we going to have connectivity?” he asked.

The governor also defended his decision to prioritise state roads over federal roads, saying he had previously worked on about eight to nine federal roads without receiving payment.

Adeleke urged viewers to fact-check his claims on the various road projects, saying residents could see the projects across the state.