The key players in yesterday’s governorship election in Osun State showed how firmly they had their immediate constituency in their grips with each candidate winning his polling unit handsomely.
Governor Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) polled 545 votes in his Ward 1, LA school, Popo, Iragbiji in Boripe Local Government Area.
He was trailed by Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who had 69 votes.
Deputy Governor Benedict Alabi delivered his Ward 6, Unit 7, Baptist Day School, Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area with 206 votes while the PDP polled 184.
Adeleke scored 218 votes in his Ward 02, Unit 09, Abogunde/Sagba, Ede North Local Government Area, with Oyetola garnering 23 votes.
Mr. Yusuf Lasun of Labour Party (LP) came tops in Polling Unit 4, Ward 05, Ilobu in Irepodun Local Government Area with 177 votes. Oyetola came second with 119 votes and Adeleke third with 98.
Similarly, Mr. Akin Ogunbiyi of Accord Party (AP) showed his strength at Unit 003, Ward 005, Methodist Primary School, Ile-Ogbo, Ayedire Local Government Area, polling 125 votes against the 89 for Oyetola and 63 for Adeleke.
EFCC storms Oyetola, Adeleke hometowns
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday stormed Iragbiji, hometown of Governor Gboyega Oyetola, and Ede, hometown of Senator Ademola Adeleke, while voting was in progress.
Six of the EFCC personnel were sighted at St Peter’s Anglican School, Iragbiji, where the governor voted.
Another team of EFCC officials was seen at PU9, Ward 2, Abogunde/Sagbe in Ede North Local Government Area where Adeleke voted.
Their deployment, it was gathered, was meant to check vote-buying.
Suspected vote buyers arrested
The EFCC personnel arrested at least three persons yesterday for alleged vote-buying.
The suspects are Jimoh Kazeem, Adeyemo Bahir, and Abidogun Ismail.
They were arrested at Polling Unit 002, Ward 2, Ababu, Isale Osun, Osogbo.
Aregbesola absent at his ward
lnterior Minister Rauf Ar¹gb¹sÍla was conspicuously absent in his Ilesa hometown.
At his father’s house at ÌgbÍ arugbo compound, the gate of the story building was thrown open open while some women were seeing frying akara ( beans balls).
YIAGA Africa hails INEC on logistics management
An election monitoring group, YIAGA Africa, commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for noticeable improvement in logistics management for the election.
The civil society organization gave the commendation in a mid-day statement signed by the Board Chair of YIAGA Africa, Hussain Abdu, and Executive Director, Samson Itodo.
It said: “Consistent with our observation in the Ekiti Election, YIAGA Africa notes the significant improvement in logistics management for the Osun 2022 governorship election.
“The personnel and essential materials such as the voter register, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), voting cubicles and ballot box were deployed early in majority of the polling units.
“Yiaga Africa also observed the presence of assistive materials for persons with disability in some polling units and improved set-up of polling units to enable access for persons with a physical disability,” the statement reads in part.
It also hailed the electoral body for fulfilling its promise to provide the disaggregated number of permanent voter cards (PVCs) collected by polling units.
Yiaga Africa also commended the people of Osun State for their peaceful conduct during the voting process.
NYSC DG hails corps members
The Director-General, National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier General Muhammad Fadah, hailed the patriotic zeal of corps members that participated as ad hoc staff in the Osun governorship election.
He described them as positive agents of national unity who have imprinted their names in the political history of the state as good ambassadors of democracy.
General Fadah spoke in Osogbo while monitoring corps members on election duty across different local government areas of the state.
General Fadah also hailed the security agencies for providing an enabling environment for the corps members to discharge their national assignment.
No report of mass violence, vote-buying —Police
The police said they were yet to receive reports of violence or vote-buying in the election.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) Johnson Kokumo, who supervised the security personnel deployed for the election, said the security agencies had been up and doing in ensuring peaceful conduct of the election.
He said, however, that some arrests had been made by security agents in the course of the election.
“Those who have violated electoral laws have been accosted,” he said.
He said that investigation would be carried out on those arrested for further actions.
Mr Dauda Mungadi, the Deputy Commandant General (DCG) of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in charge of Operations, said after a visit to Ward 2 Unit 7, Isale Osun that there was sanity and orderliness in most polling units in the state.
Mungadi said although the election was still ongoing, the corps had not received reports of major issues on disruption of the voting process.