African leaders must allow credible polls for democracy to thrive - Adeleke

The Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has appealed to African leaders to make room for credible elections to guarantee the survival of democracy on the continent.

The governor made the plea at the three-day executive retreat organised by the African office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) ongoing at Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.

This is contained in a statement by the governor's spokesman, Olawale Rasheed, on Friday, August 25, 2023.

Speaking at the event, Adeleke said, “I am glad to be here. Permit me to call on leaders in and out of here that we must allow democracy to work. We are products of the democratic process. So we should allow free and fair elections.

“Our people put us here. So we must serve their interest. If we fail to serve their interest, we must accept when we are voted out. Once we are elected, we must be on our toes and make a difference. That is how democracy can thrive.

“Democracy in whatever form must bring development. If democracy does not produce development, there will be problems with the system. I love what I see in Rwanda. There are serious lessons to learn," the statement quoted the governor as saying.

“I try to practice what I preach. In Osun state, I govern with an eye on the rule of law and due process. I know developed nations got to where they are today because they allowed democracy to function, they embraced the rule of law.

“Let me also add that the citizens too must play their parts. The citizenry must be active and defend the electoral process. The people must rise to ensure free and fair elections. We will learn a lot here. We will exchange notes. We will be better leaders,” he added.

Other Nigerian governors that attended the event include those of Oyo, Abia, Anambra, Benue, Cross River (represented by the Deputy Governor), Delta, Ekiti, Enugu, Jigawa, Kaduna, Lagos, Niger, Nassarawa, Taraba, Sokoto (represented by the Deputy Governor) and Zamfara.