A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and political activist, Kunle Adegoke, has urged Nigerian voters not to be swayed solely by campaign promises when deciding which candidates to support in the 2027 general elections.
Adegoke gave the advice on Thursday while appearing on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, where he spoke on voter responsibility, political alliances in Osun State and his ambition to represent Osun Central Senatorial District.
The SAN said voters should take greater responsibility for their choices by examining the records, antecedents, capacity and character of candidates before casting their ballots.
He was responding to concerns raised by some callers over politicians who allegedly make several 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 the electorate before elections.
Responding, Adegoke said voters must also accept responsibility for the choices they make by properly scrutinising those seeking their votes.
“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?” he said.
Adegoke advised voters to look beyond campaign rhetoric and consider what candidates had done before seeking elective office, arguing that their antecedents could provide a clearer indication of their capacity, character and commitment.
The SAN also defended his previous legal representation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying his professional responsibility as a lawyer should not be confused with political endorsement.
“I’m a lawyer by profession. It is whoever engages me that I will represent,” he said.
He 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 the career and public activities of a lawyer.
“So we must develop society from the conscious appreciation of issues and facts,” Adegoke said.
On the political relationship between the Accord Party and the APC, particularly the understanding between the parties at the presidential level, Adegoke said the arrangement, as far as he understood it, was limited to the presidential election.
“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,” he said.
He said voters were not bound to support the same political party across different elections conducted within the same electoral cycle.
Adegoke argued that the electorate was much larger than the membership of individual political parties and could therefore 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. The membership of Accord, the membership of APC, combined together is not up to one-tenth of the general populace,” he said.
The SAN linked the issue to his ambition to represent Osun Central Senatorial District, saying his intervention in politics was motivated by concerns about leadership and development.
“My intervention is based on leadership and I’ve been an activist to address developmental needs,” he said.
Adegoke said that if elected to the Senate, his priorities would include effective representation, legislative oversight, scrutiny of government budgets and constituency development.
“These are part of the supervisory functions that I am going to ensure that we carry out. It is not always when we want to probably discipline somebody in the executive who has committed an offence and what have you alone, that the National Assembly will have to come in,” he said.
He said lawmakers must monitor the implementation of government programmes and ensure that public resources translated into tangible benefits for citizens.
On constituency projects, Adegoke said such interventions should reflect the actual needs of communities rather than 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 said.
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,” Adegoke said.
He explained that the projects would be based on proper assessment of the needs of individual local governments, 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,” he said.
Adegoke further 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.
The SAN also said political opponents could work together where the objective was to improve society, stressing that political competition should not permanently prevent cooperation.
“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,” he said.
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 advance the development of society.
