All Progressives Congress, APC, held its governorship primary across the 332 wards in Osun State, yesterday, which Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, described as a sham.
Meanwhile, results trickling in from various wards across the state positioned Governor Adegboyega Oyetola in the lead and likely to win the exercise.
Aregbesola, in a statement issued on his behalf by his media aide, Sola Fasure, said the process was manipulated to favour the governor against all known guidelines of the party.
“We have received and continue to receive reports of the shenanigans of the officials who conducted the sham of an election. We have been inundated with reports state-wide of how 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”, he said.
“We have heard of how party registration cards were being hawked this morning to 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”.
While urging his supporters to remain calm, Aregbesola said his faction would seek redress legally.
Meanwhile, Oyetola defeated Aregbesola’s candidate in the primary, Mr Moshood Adeoti, and former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon Lasun Yusuf, at the wards and also won at his Ward 1 located at Saint Paul School, Iragbiji, Boripe local government area of the state, where 1,612 voters queued behind him.
The governor polled 323 votes, Adeoti, 62 while Lasun polled 10 at his Irepodun Ward 5. At the Minister’s Ilesa-East local government Ward 8, Oyetola polled 309 votes against Adeoti’s 146.
Poll peaceful, free and fair
Meanwhile, Oyetola, while addressing supporters after the exercise in Iragbiji, said contrary to the insinuation of war, the exercise was peaceful.
One killed
One person was, however, reported dead at Odogbo Ward 6 in the Atakunmosa-East local government area of the state.
The state Commissioner for Political Affairs, Taiwo Akeju, said the victim, one Job Akinola, a member of the APC, was shot by hoodlums in the branded vehicle of a PDP governorship aspirant.
In a quick reaction, the aspirant said his boys had nothing to do with the killing, saying they were merely passing through the area, as he claimed that the murder has been committed earlier.
Confirming the murder, Osun police spokesperson, SP Yemisi Opalola, said the killing was due to a rival cult clash. She added that the police were investigating the incident.
