A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Oyo State, Alhaji Adebisi Olopoenia, made this assertion while speaking with the Tribune Online, after the announcement of the results of the election.
He noted that: “Gone were the days when election results were easily manipulated by the ruling party.
“Now, the electorate have risen up to the occasion by voting massively to their choice candidate, thereby giving no room for any form of manipulation.
“I have said it times without count that the fate of politicians lies with the electorates. No politician can strive without enjoying the goodwill of the electorates and I think that was what came to bear on the Osun West by-election.
“With this development, It is obvious that the electorate are wiser now, compared to what obtained during the 2015 general elections , when they were bamboozled. It is no longer going to be business as usual.
“The electorate to the best of my knowledge, have had a feel of extremely cold water and a very hot one, so they know where to put their votes come 2019.
“Also, what happened in Osun should serve as a lesson to us in Oyo State. If PDP had chosen a candidate that was popular and loved by the people, the APC would not have won the governorship election in 2015.
“My advice now is for us to come together and not only that, but to look for a candidate that is sellable to the people in the 2019 elections. But if we fail to do that, history will still repeat itself.”
Olopoenia, however, urged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to put its house in order and work out modalities for effective mobilisation of voters so as to regain power in 2019.
“The only hope for the masses now is the PDP and we must ensure we do not disappoint them,” Olopoenia said.
He, therefore, congratulated Senator Nurudeen Adeleke, as well as the people of Osun West Senatorial district for the victory, while calling on Senator Adeleke to ensure the fulfillment of all his campaign promises.
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