By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate for Ife Federal Constituency, Dr Akíntólá Najmud-deen Akinjide, has urged the Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Jackson Adeleke, to protect the mandate given to him by the people and ensure that the state’s political space remains open to all parties and candidates.
Akinjide made the call in a press release dated Saturday, 21st August, 2026, and titled “Osun People’s Mandate Must Be Protected and the Political Space Must Remain Open to All.”
He described the just-concluded election in Osun State as a clear expression of the will of the people and an exercise of the beauty of freedom of choice, a right he said every citizen holds dear in a democracy.
He noted that Adeleke’s emergence as winner was a direct result of that free choice made by the people of Osun, stressing that it was important for the governor not to lose sight of this fundamental principle that brought him into office.
The SDP candidate stated that democracy could only thrive when the will of the people is respected and when the environment that produced that will is preserved.
He maintained that the governor must remain committed to protecting that same freedom for all citizens, even as he settles down to the business of governance.
Akinjide further noted that while the governor had expressed his readiness to work for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the progress of the nation, such commitment must not in any way become a barrier to the constitutional rights of other political parties and candidates in Osun State.
He argued that the promise to support the President must not hinder the efforts of other parties and candidates to freely canvass, mobilise and participate in the political process.
According to him, every citizen and every political group, irrespective of party affiliation or social connections, deserves the privilege of a free and fair election in Osun State.
He insisted that the political space must remain level and accessible to all, warning that any attempt to tilt the environment in favour of one interest would undermine the very democratic values that gave birth to the administration.
Akinjide, therefore, urged the governor to demonstrate statesmanship by ensuring that governance is inclusive and that the electoral process in the state continues to reflect fairness, transparency and equal opportunity for all.
He said the people of Osun voted for freedom, and that freedom must be safeguarded for the present and for the future.
