In a sharp departure from political permutations, the Governor of Osun State, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola defeated a former secretary to the state government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, at the ward of the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, in Saturday’s governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress.
But the Rasaq Salinsile-led faction of the party to which the minister belongs, rejected the result. The faction claimed that the exercise was fraught with irregularities.
Adeoti, a former chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria before it merged with the APC, is the anointed candidate of Aregbesola for the party’s governorship ticket.
Oyetola, was the chief of staff to Aregbesola when the latter served as governor of the state for eight years.
Also in the race is a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Lasun Yusuf.
In Aregbesola’s Ifofin Ward 8, Ilesa East Local Government, Adeoti got 146 votes while Oyetola polled 309 votes. Lasun Yusuf also lost in his Ward 5, Ilobu getting 10 votes, as Oyetola polled 323 while Adeoti got 62 votes.
Also, in his Iragbaji Ward 1, Saint Peters Primary School, Iragbiji, Oyetola got 1,612 votes, while Adeoti and Yusuf got no vote.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sunday PUNCH, the Publicity Secretary of Aregbesola’s faction, Abiodun Agboola, noted that the concerns raised by the group at the stakeholders’ meeting held with the party’s Electoral Committee on Friday in Osogbo, the state capital, were not addressed.
Agboola said names of Adeoti’s supporters were removed from the membership register used for the exercise.
He further claimed that hoodlums were used to chase away Adeoti’s supporters, adding that result sheets were not provided for the compilation of the outcome of the poll.
He further alleged, “Verified information from the agents of Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, our governorship aspirant, has it that there is no record and there are no result sheets in any of the 332 wards of the state.
“Also, there was no proper accreditation in the majority of the ward collation centres where voting was taking place. The accreditation done in some places were skewed in favour of Governor Gboyega Oyetola as members of the group were allowed to pass through the accreditation process without much ado.
“Names of a sizeable number of the members of the APC who wanted to vote for Adeoti were missing in the register of the party. This we had envisaged by calling for the display of party register before the conduct of the primary.
“State government appointed officers were used as returning officers. We are rejecting the result because it was not a true reflection of what happened today.
“Votes were allocated in all the wards in Osun State. There were no result sheets for the results to be entered. What they did today was simply to allocate results. They came to voting centres with thugs.
“We are rejecting any results that may be announced by the committee.”
Although the official announcement of the results of the poll had yet to commence as of the time of filing this report, some of the early results coming in indicated that Oyetola was coasting home to victory.
Unexpectedly, Aregbesola, who has urged his followers to troop out in large numbers and vote for Adeoti, did not participate in the exercise.
Rather, the chairman of his faction in Ifofin ward 8, Adegoke Saheed, while speaking with our correspondent alleged that the exercise was manipulated.
He also confirmed that Aregbesola did not take part in the exercise.
He said, “We have concluded (voting) but it is unfortunate that the process did not go smoothly. They brought a party register that was not the original. I supervised the registration and I told those that brought the register that it was not the original.
“We could not find the names of our supporters in the register. I told them the list had been doctored but they did not listen to me. When they wanted to count, they said 309 voted for Oyetola and when they counted those that voted for us (Adeoti) and they got to 146, they disrupted the exercise and said they should not count again.
“They didn’t bring the result sheet. They just pack their papers and ran away. This is the ward of the Minister, Rauf Aregbesola. I was told when I asked about his whereabouts that Ogbeni went on an official assignment. He was not around.”
Also in ward 15, Oyan, some APC members belonging to the Aregbesola group alleged that they were not allowed to vote, as their names were missing from the party register used for the primary.
Speaking in a video obtained by our correspondent, Adesola Adegbite, who spoke on behalf of the aggrieved members, said they were not allowed to vote since their names were not found in the register.
Speaking at his ward in Boripe LGA, Iragbiji, Oyetola said the election should not be seen as a battleground.
He said, “I will win by the grace of God. I want to appeal to all of us to see this issue as a family affair. We are all APC members.”
“We should brace up for the challenge ahead. We are going to face another party whose candidate we don’t know yet. I want to appeal to us to ensure that we have an opportunity for reconciliation.”
The governor said he was not surprised that he won in his ward.
Oyetola said the primary was not expected to be a battlefield and urged party members to brace up for the challenges ahead.
“I want my fellow aspirants to see this exercise as a family affair and not a battlefield.
“Because God is always in control, there is no violence in the state, although violence is not expected.
“I don’t know why the agents of other aspirants are not here but we should all brace up for the challenges ahead and create opportunity for reconciliation,” he said.
The governor described the turnout of the party members for the exercise as meaningful and impressive.
He said, “I thank God that we were able to do it peacefully. All the members of the party have the opportunity to decide who will carry the flag of the party.
“I want to appeal to all our people all over the state to please maintain peace.
“This election process should not be a battlefield. It should not be a do-or-die affair. There should be no violence.
“Let everybody have the opportunity of participating in his choice of who should be the candidate of our party.
“I think that is the process and I think it has gone very well, contrary to the speculation,”
Meanwhile, Aregbesola has vowed that his group will explore legal means to get justice.
He spoke after losing his ward to Oyetola.
The former governor was absent at his Ifofin Ward 8, Ilesa East Local Government for the exercise on Saturday.
Oyetola won in the minister’s ward with 309 votes against 146 recorded for Adeoti, the candidate anointed by the minister.
But Aregbesola, in a statement by his media’s aide, Sola Fasure, claimed results of the governorship primary were “farcically counted in favour of the governor.”
He said, “On behalf of the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, I will like to thank you most sincerely for heeding the call earlier this morning to participate in our party’s governorship primary and conduct yourselves most peacefully. You adopted a non-violent posture, even in the face of sore provocation.
“You have demonstrated your loyalty to the party and democratic ideals. You have comported yourselves as Omoluabi in the true essence.
“We have received and continue to receive the reports of the shenanigans of the officials who conducted the sham of an election.
“We have been inundated with reports state-wide of how your names were expunged from the party’s voters register, which was not made available until this morning, contrary to the convention of making the list available to the candidates before the election.
“We have heard of how party registration cards were being hawked this morning to the supporters of the state governor.
“We have also received reports of how accreditation was not done at all in many wards and how people without the party identification just participated and queued behind the governor in many polling units.
“We have received the report from our members and independent observers, how government officials and notable supporters of the governor officiated in the election, how votes were farcically counted in favour of the governor and how the votes recorded for him were more than the number of voters accredited ab initio in many units.
“We have heard of the absence of result sheets and other vital documents for recording results and vital data. We note also the absence of INEC officials in most wards, casting serious doubt on the credibility of the election.
“We note with shame and much regret the consternation of local and international observers on what they regard as a travesty of an election.
“I will urge you to maintain your cool and calm. Be not downcast, be not agitated. Hold your head high. We are still receiving and studying all these reports and will take a definitive position on them.
“You are urged not to take laws into your own hands. Please, leave the rest to the Almighty God and let us explore all peaceful and legal means for addressing the matter in order to obtain justice.
“Please remain committed to peace and the rule of law. Be unflinching in your commitment to the democratic ideals. Democracy is for the long haul.
“As you all know, we never tire and we never give up on the cause we believe in. Rest assured that victory is ours.”
A former Deputy Governor of Osun, Sen. Iyiola Omisore, has urged members of the APC in the state to maintain peaceful coexistence during and after the Saturday state governorship primary election.
Omisore spoke while casting his vote at C&S Primary School, Ita-Yemoo, Museum Extension, Ife East Moore Ward, on Saturday in Ile-Ife.
He said the primary election was very important as it determines who would pilot the affairs of the state for the next four years.
According to him, this is very significant and the electorate must not miss it.
He said, “Primary election is a family affair, the electorate here are law-abiding, they cooperate with the INEC officials on the ground and did not pose an unnecessary problem to them.
“I believe that this primary election is transparent enough and would satisfy the voters as well. I admonish the contestants to take the results in good faith and believe that it is the will of God for them.”
Omisore urged the voters and the contestants to be tolerant, patient and ensure that they pose no problem during and after the primary election.
Also, a former Deputy Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly, Mr Akintunde Adegboye, expressed optimism that the primary election would be smooth without any form of rancour.
Adegboye called on the three contestants to remain calm and accept the outcome of the primary in good faith.
In Senator Basiru Ajibola’s Ward 7, Osogbo Local Government, Oyetola got 1027, Adeoti polled 21 while Lasun got no vote.
In Adeoti’s Gidigbo Ward Post Office area, Iwo the former SSG got 2543 votes while Oyetola polled 9432.
A member of the APC in Ward 6, Odogbo, Atakumosa East Local Government Area of Osun State, Job Akinola, was on Saturday shot dead at the venue of the governorship primary.
The deceased was said to be among party members that were in queue waiting to be accredited when some armed men stormed the venue and pulled him out.
It was further learnt that the deceased was in the queue with his mother and his elder sibling when the assailants dragged him aside and shot him dead.
Many of those at the scene when Akinola was shot dead reportedly fled in different directions as the primary election was disrupted.
Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, Osun State Commissioner for Political Affairs and Inter-Governmental Relations, Taiwo Akeju, said the assailants were led to the scene by one Bode.
He further said, “The deceased, Job Akinola, was a member of the APC. He was in the queue. His mother was behind him while his elder brother was in front of him when the assailants stormed the area and dragged him out of the queue.
“He was dragged aside and shot dead while his mother and brother watched helplessly. The assailants also disrupted voting in the area.”
When contacted, spokesperson for Osun Police Command, Yemisi Opalola, confirmed the incident, saying perpetrators were suspected cultists.
She said, “At about 11:50 am, while accreditation for APC governorship primary was going on at ward 6 Odogbo-Ijesa, one Bode Itaapa and his gang members suspected to be cultists stormed the voting centre and picked one boy, whose identity is not known yet, and shot him to death.
“Police operatives intercepted and engaged the suspects in a gun duel before they escaped into the bush with bullet wounds. They abandoned one Nissan Hilux branded with PDP logo and poster of Hon. Sanya Ominrin, 1 TVS motorcycle and six face masks. The corpse has been deposited at Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa. We are on an intensive manhunt for the suspects.”
But speaking with newsmen, Ominrin said his supporters did not kill anyone but were coincidentally passing through the area after the deceased had been killed.
Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly, Mr Timothy Owoeye, said Saturday’s exercise was peaceful and orderly and congratulated APC members on the successful election.
Owoeye, who spoke with our correspondent at the premises of Ilesa Grammar School, used as Collation Centre for Ilesa East, insisted that the party would remain united despite the division that ravaged it before the primary.
He said, “It has been largely peaceful across the state. Here in Ilesa, the turnout was massive. People were peaceful and orderly.
“No division in Osun APC and we will remain an indivisible entity even after the congress. The turnout was good all over the state.”
Speaking in a similar vein, the state Commissioner for Works, Remi Omowaiye, stated that Oyetola had earned the confidence of most APC members which made them support him en masse during the primary. – Punch.
