John Adesuyi, the Zenith Labour Party's governorship candidate in Osun State, believes his party has enough support spread across the state to win the August 15 election. He made the comments during a Newspoint programme hosted by the Nigeria Union of Journalists Correspondents' Chapel in Osogbo.
Adesuyi dismissed the importance of campaign crowds, arguing that elections hinge on strategy rather than popularity. He insisted the ZLP won't be rattled by opposition displays or intimidated by their rallies.
The candidate pointed to his party's performance in recent elections as evidence of its reach. He said the ZLP finished sixth in the 2023 presidential race, ahead of parties many consider more prominent.
He noted the party secured votes in every local government area during the 2022 governorship election. Some political parties, he added, failed to register votes in certain councils.
"The ZLP did not record zero anywhere in the 2022 governorship election," Adesuyi said. "We were the last on the ballot paper, so nobody voted for us by mistake.
Anybody who voted for us actually wanted to vote for us."
Adesuyi stressed the party rejects vote-buying tactics and won't be swayed by crowd tactics. "Crowds can easily be gathered," he said during the encounter.
He reported positive reception during engagements across the state. Many residents praised his programmes and expressed confidence in his abilities, he told reporters.
However, Adesuyi acknowledged citizens raised concerns about money's role in elections. The party, he said, is counting on honest voters who've sat out previous elections because they viewed the system as corrupt.
Osun has over two million registered voters, but fewer than 800,000 cast ballots in the last governorship election. This leaves a large pool of eligible voters untapped, according to him.
The ZLP candidate said his party will target these disengaged voters, urging them to collect their Permanent Voter Cards and participate. He expressed confidence the party can secure victory without needing votes from other political parties.
"We are so convinced and believe within them we can have our own required number of votes that can declare ZLP as a winner of the election without having to tamper with their own crowd," Adesuyi noted.
