An aspirant for the Ondo State House of Assembly, Hon. Adeola Taoheed Musa, has asked the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to restore his mandate in the spirit of the June 12 Democracy Day celebration.
Musa, an aspirant for Owo Constituency Two, said democracy thrives where people’s vote counts, either in a primary or general election.
Musa insisted that he had won the primary election for Owo Constituency Two, but the anointed aspirant of the leadership at the state level was declared the winner by the party leadership at the state level.
According to him, June 12 is supposed to be a day for sober reflection and reviewing everything about the country’s democracy, noting that, after 33 years, if the country can’t conduct free and fair elections, both at the parties and national levels, the leadership and political stakeholders should be held responsible.
According to him, “June 12 will forever remain a reminder of the resilience of Nigerians in the pursuit of justice, freedom, and true democracy. I will not rest on my oars in pursuing the mandate given to me to serve at the State House of Assembly”.
Musa said that Nigerian democracy ought to have grown beyond where governors and some political heavyweights would be imposing candidates against the wishes of the people, saying imposition in the just concluded APC primaries has fractured the party’s cohesion ahead of the upcoming elections.
His words, “Nigerians are celebrating Democracy Day today but what happened to the June 12 election of MKO Abiola has played out again in the just concluded primary of my party APC where my mandate has been given to anointed candidate of our governor.
” It is high time we learnt the lesson of letting electorates vote to count. June 12 ought to have taught us a serious lesson, but, sadly, Nigerian leaders are just celebrating Democracy Day without sober reflection”.
“In the spirit of celebrating June 12, I plead with the leadership of our party in Ondo State under our amiable governor to restore my mandate. Justice, equity, and fairness must be the basis for our democracy.
“The mandate freely given to me by my people in Owo, Mr Governor, a man of integrity and merit, should use his good office to restore my mandate.
“We don’t want our party to lose the forthcoming elections to the opposition, but to avert this, the people’s choice must be given their mandate. APC members in Owo have spoken, and they know I am the candidate to beat in any election, going by my acceptability across the town.
Also, Musa congratulated the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, and Nigerians on the occasion of the 2026 Democracy Day celebration.
He emphasized the historic significance of June 12, a date that remains deeply symbolic in Nigeria’s democratic journey, marking the landmark 1993 presidential election widely regarded as a turning point in the nation’s struggle for democratic governance and the mandate of the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola
He acknowledged the sacrifices being made by Nigerians and urged citizens not to lose hope, expressing confidence that the administration’s ongoing reforms and security measures would yield positive results.
The Assembly Hopeful also congratulated Governor Aiyedatiwa for his steadfast leadership and dedication to the development of Ondo State, saying he remains the number one leader of the party in Ondo State.
While tasking the governor to right the wrong associated with the party’s primaries in the state, he urged him to embrace all interests as the father of the state.
