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Osun Central senatorial hopeful urges voters to examine candidates’ antecedents, capacity and commitment before voting
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and political activist, Kunle Adegoke, has urged Nigerian voters to look beyond campaign promises and carefully examine the records, antecedents, capacity and commitment of political candidates before casting their ballots in the 2027 general elections.
Adegoke said voters should take greater responsibility for their choices by assessing what candidates had done before seeking elective office, rather than relying solely on promises made during election campaigns.
He spoke on Thursday during an appearance on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, where he discussed voter responsibility, political alliances in Osun State and his ambition to represent Osun Central Senatorial District in the Senate.
The SAN was responding to concerns raised by callers about politicians who allegedly make numerous promises during election campaigns but fail to fulfil them after assuming office.
The callers questioned why some politicians appear to change after gaining power despite the commitments they made to voters before elections.
Responding, Adegoke said the electorate must also accept responsibility for the choices it makes by properly scrutinising candidates before voting.
“It is you people that have been making mistakes. What is the antecedent of the people that have been soft-soaping you, that have been soft-talking you? What is their antecedent?”
Adegoke said a candidate’s antecedents could provide voters with a clearer indication of the person’s character, capacity and commitment than campaign rhetoric.
He urged voters to examine candidates’ previous conduct, professional records and contributions to society before deciding who deserves their votes.
Adegoke Defends Previous APC Legal Representation
The SAN also addressed questions about his previous legal representation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and whether the professional relationship could affect his credibility as a political candidate.
He explained that lawyers have a professional responsibility to represent clients who engage their services, stressing that representing a political party as a lawyer should not automatically be interpreted as endorsing all of its political positions.
“I’m a lawyer by profession. It is whoever engages me that I will represent.”
Adegoke questioned whether the same standard would be applied to lawyers who had represented the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or other political interests before becoming politically active or seeking elective office.
According to him, professional legal responsibility should be distinguished from political affiliation when assessing a lawyer’s career and public activities.
“So we must develop society from the conscious appreciation of issues and facts,” he said.
Adegoke Explains Accord-APC Understanding
Adegoke also spoke on the political relationship between the Accord Party and the APC, particularly the understanding between the two parties at the presidential level.
He said, as far as he understood it, the arrangement was limited to the presidential election and should not automatically determine the outcome of elections involving other elective positions.
“The purpose of the accord between Accord Party and our party, as far as the presidential election is concerned, I will not be mischievous to say what they did not say, is limited to the presidential election.”
Adegoke argued that voters were not bound to support the same political party across different elections conducted within the same electoral cycle.
He said the electorate was much larger than the membership of any political party and could make independent choices based on candidates and issues.
“It is not members of Accord alone that elected Governor Adeleke. It is people, the electorate generally.”
He maintained that voters could make different choices in presidential, governorship and National Assembly elections depending on the candidates presented to them and the issues at stake.
Adegoke Outlines Osun Central Agenda
Adegoke linked his position on leadership and accountability to his ambition to represent Osun Central Senatorial District, saying his intervention in politics was driven by concerns about leadership and development.
“My intervention is based on leadership and I’ve been an activist to address developmental needs.”
He said his priorities, if elected to the Senate, would include effective representation, legislative oversight, scrutiny of government budgets and constituency development.
Adegoke said lawmakers must monitor the implementation of government programmes and ensure that public resources translated into tangible benefits for citizens.
He added that effective legislative oversight was not limited to responding to alleged misconduct by members of the executive, but also involved scrutinising budgets, monitoring projects and holding government agencies accountable.
Constituency Projects Must Reflect Community Needs
On constituency projects, Adegoke said lawmakers should ensure that interventions reflected the actual needs of their communities rather than being driven by political considerations.
“When it comes to constituency projects, yes, I mean, it is not my father’s money. It is government money that they are appropriating.”
He promised that, if elected, he would use his legislative position to pursue constituency projects across the 10 local government areas that make up Osun Central Senatorial District.
“I want to develop Osun Central. I want to use Osun Central as a template that will show what I would have done were I to be in the executive.”
He said constituency projects should be based on proper assessments of the needs of each local government, noting that some communities might require the rehabilitation of existing facilities rather than the construction of new ones.
“I will use my legislative position to now ensure that constituency projects will be constructed in all the 10 local governments and will take into consideration the needs of that particular local government.”
‘I Cannot Work in Isolation’
Adegoke also stressed the importance of cooperation with other lawmakers and political actors, saying effective representation could not be achieved in isolation.
He said political office should be approached with humility and an understanding that elected representatives were in government to serve the people.
According to him, political differences should not prevent lawmakers from working together where the ultimate objective is the development of society.
“We are supposed to work together to ensure the success of our society. I will reach out to my opponents to see how we can better the lot of our society. I’m not going to do it in isolation, so long as they are willing to cooperate with me.”
Adegoke said the quality of political representation should ultimately be judged by the ability of elected officials to provide effective oversight, respond to the needs of their constituents and work with others to promote development.
