Osun guber: Good leaders should listen when people complain, Edwin Clark tells APC

Edwin Clark, an Ijaw national leader, has criticised Abdullahi Adamu, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), for his comments prior to the Osun governorship election.

While inaugurating the APC campaign council for the Osun governorship poll, Adamu had said the ruling party must do all within the law to win the election.

Following the election which held on July 16, Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured 403,371 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Gboyega Oyetola, incumbent governor and candidate of the APC, who polled 375,027 votes.

In a statement on Thursday, Clark commended President Muhammadu Buhari, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and security operatives for their efforts to ensure a credible and peaceful election.

He, however, criticised Adamu over his comments regarding his expectations of the APC during the election, adding that there is “discontent” in the country and leaders should listen.

“I must also heartily congratulate, the good people of Osun State who behaved in a very civilised manner which produced peaceful, free and credible results of the election which was held on Saturday, 16th July, 2022, by defying the ambitious and inordinate charge of the National Chairman of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC), Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, which he gave to members of the party’s National Campaign Council on the Osun State 2022 Governorship Election,” the statement reads.

“There is so much discontent in the land. If people are complaining, a good leader should listen. Unfortunately, we have leaders who not only ignore the concerns of the people with impunity, but also make crass statements.”

While highlighting the comments of Adamu in which the APC chairman told the campaign council that he had “zero tolerance for failure”, Clark said such comments point to desperation.

He also said the APC chairman’s “unguarded statement did not come to me as a surprise because I have known him since 1979”.

“Our leaders must be able to feel the pulse of the people. Let leadership have a human face,” he added.