The Deputy Minority Leader of the Senate, Olalere Oyewumi has said that his statement on 2023 general election at a polling unit in Irewole local government was blown out of proportion by some people he described as “disgruntled elements”.
Oyewumi said this in a statement by his media consultant, Adeolu Ajayi on Monday.
Ajayi said what the lawmaker meant by the funds was mobilization funds and he never said anything close to vote buying during the programme.
His full statement reads:
“Our attention has been drawn to a viral video of Sen.Lere Oyewunmi, the lawmaker representing Osun West Senatorial District in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, who also doubles as the Deputy Minority Leader at the Red Chamber, where he was addressing some of his followers at his hometown in Ikire, in Irewole Local Government Area of the State.
“In the viral video, which some political jobbers in the opposition in Osun State, in cahoots with some section of media had twisted to suit their parochial tendencies; Senator Oyewumi was simply narrating the gang up against his ambition in a particular voting area around the town, and alluded to the fact that all his efforts to convince the people of the area to support him was futile.
“His notion of ‘Mobilization’ during the polls, which he expressed in Yoruba was mischievously translated by the media as Vote-buying, purposely to paint the lawmaker black in the eyes of the public.
“We want to explicitly put it on record that what Senator Lere Oyewunmi meant connotatively was ‘Funds for Mobilization ‘ and never mentioned anything close to buying of vote.
“Without mincing words, Senator Lere Oyewunmi is a revered personality with impeccable pedigree, a consummate politician with high level of intellect, it would be therefore, illogical for a sagacious politician of that standing to involve in such infraction and still come out in public to say it; such thinking by anyone defies logic.
It is obvious that the lawmaker was addressing a gathering of locals with little or no formal education to understand the tenets of “Funds for Mobilization ” hence, the option of that pattern of expression in Yoruba Language.
“We, thereby, warn redundant politicians in the State and their co-travellers in the media to desist from such cheap propaganda, as Senator Lere Oyewunmi by ideology and orientation will never act in variance with rule of law and democratic ethos.”
