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Tag: Osun election

  • Oyetola, APC, INEC urge Appeal Court to uphold Osun election

    OSUN State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have asked the Court of Appeal in Abuja to uphold the governor’s victory in the governorship election held on September 22 and 27, 2018.

    Their request was contained in three separate appeals they filed against the  majority judgment given by the Osun State Governorship Election Tribunal on March 22, 2019.

    The tribunal had, in the majority judgment, given by two of its three members upheld the petition by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the election, Senator Ademola Adeleke and voided Oyetola and APC’s victory.

    In their appeals, argued yesterday, Oyetola, the APC and INEC prayed the five-man panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Jummai Sankey, to set aside the majority decision of the tribunal, uphold their appeals and dismiss the October 16, 2018 petition by Adeleke and the PDP.

    They equally urged the court to dismiss the cross-appeal filed by Adeleke, on the grounds that it is unmeritorious.

    In the appeal by Oyetola, his lawyer, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), faulted the reasons given by the tribunal in reaching the judgment appealed against, arguing that the decision was not supported by the evidence led by the petitioners.

    He urged the court to void the judgment because the judge, Justice Peter Obiorah, who wrote and delivered it, did not participate in all the proceedings of the tribunal.

    Olanipekun noted that “the judge, who did not sit, came to write the lead judgment and reviewed the evidence of February 6, 2019 proceedings, where he was absent”.

    “Adjudication is like video watching. It cannot be done by proxy. The judge cannot analyse the evidence of a witness, whose demeanour he did not observe. The judgment should be declared a nullity on this ground alone,” he said.

    Olanipekun, who said he and some named senior lawyers were at the tribunal  on February 6, 2019, faulted the argument by lawyer to Adeleke and the PDP that it was not clear from the record of proceedings, whether or not Justice Obiorah was absent on the particular day.

    He argued that the judge’s failure to sign at the end of the proceedings on February 6, 2019, was enough evidence to justify the appellant’s claim that Justice Obiorah was absent on the day in question.

    Olanipekun also faulted the tribunal’s cancellation of results in 17 polling units in the state, and noted that the petitioners did not tender any result of the election before the tribunal.

    Read also: Osun election dispute: Appeal Court fixes hearing for tomorrow

    He  argued that the tribunal went beyond its powers by annulling  results in the 17 polling units to justify the judgment it gave in favour of the petitioners.

    Lawyer to the APC, Akin Olujinmi (SAN), while arguing the party’s appeal, contended that the tribunal was wrong to have allowed the petition, which was incurably incompetent.

    “The 1st and 2nd respondents  sought to be declared winner of the election, held on September 22, 2018, which was declared inconclusive. They also asked the tribunal to void the rerun election held on September 27, 2018, because they believed it was unlawful.

    “You cannot say you should be declared a winner on the election that you said was unlawful and void,” the senior lawyer said.

    Olujinmi accused the tribunal of exceeding its jurisdiction when it engaged in amending the petitioners’ reliefs to make them grantable.

    “No tribunal has the jurisdiction to reframe, amend or formulate reliefs for the petitioners.

    “On realising that the reliefs could not be granted, they (members of the tribunal) amended the reliefs and granted it by themselves.

    “We are saying the tribunal has no power to amend a petitioner’s reliefs. The much they ought to do, on realising that the reliefs could not be granted, was to have dismissed the petition.”

    He faulted the tribunal for holding that the petitioners proved its case of non-compliance in respect of the polling units where it voided results.

    Lawyer to INEC Yusuf Ali (SAN), who argued in a similar manner, contended that the tribunal erred in its majority judgment, particularly as regards the issue of non-compliance.

    He noted that the tribunal, having found that accreditation was properly done and that all witnesses agreed that the votes scored were not affected by the omissions noted in some result sheets, ought not to have voided any results.

    Citing Section 134 (b) of the Electoral Act, Ali argued that  non-compliance means not compliance with the provision of the Act, not an act of omission on the part of INEC officials,  which are not contrary to the provision of the Act.

    Ali also argued that since the tribunal held that the petitioners did not prove over-voting and non-compliance, it ought not to have turned around to void votes in some polling units.

    On the question of why INEC did not call it witnesses at the tribunal, Ali said it was unnecessary because the petitioners did not discharge the burden of proof placed on them by the law to warrant INEC to call fresh witnesses.

    Lawyer to Adeleke and the PDP, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), faulted the three appeals and the arguments proffered by Olanipekun, Olujinmi and Ali.

    Ikpeazu argued that the tribunal was right in its decision to have declared Adeleke and his party as the winner of the election.

    He faulted the argument that Justice Obiorah did not participate in all the proceedings of the tribunal, arguing that there was no sufficient evidence to that effect.

    Ikpeazu urged the court to dismiss the three appeals and uphold the judgment of the tribunal.

    Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN),  who argued Adeleke’s cross-appeal, urged the court to allow his client’s appeal and reverse the portion of the judgment, where the tribunal rejected the evidence the petitioners lead in relation to six polling units.

    Ogunwumiju argued that the tribunal wrongly excluded some of its evidence, because while it called 23 witnesses to prove it’s allegation of non-compliance in 23 polling units, the tribunal only upheld 17 where it voided elections.

    Olanipekun, Olujinmi and Ali argued that the cross-appeal was incompetent on several grounds and urged the tribunal to reject it.

    At the conclusion of proceedings that lasted over eight hours, the presiding judge, Justice Sankey, said judgments would be reserved till a later date.

    She told the parties that the date of the judgment would be communicated to them by the court’s Registry.

    Other members of the court’s five-man panel are: Justices Abubakar Datti Yahaya, Ita George Mbaba, Isaiah Olufemi Akeju and Bitrus Sanga.

  • Breaking: Osun gov closes case at tribunal after 11 witnesses

    *APC to open defence, Feb 6

    Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola has closed his defence before the state’s governorship election tribunal, sitting in Abuja.

    Oyetola, who is the second respondent in the petition filed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the last governorship election in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, closed his case on Tuesday, after calling 11 witnesses.

    PDP and Adeleke are challenging the outcome of the election won by Oyetola, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Read Also; Osun tribunal: ‘INEC is allowed to rectify errors in result sheets’

    Oyetola had, on February 1 this year, after calling his 11th witness – Adegboyega Rasaki Adeosunn, who acted as APC’s State Collation Officer during the election, promised to call four more on Monday.

    At the resumption of proceedings on Monday, Oyetola”s lawyer, John Baiyeshea (SAN) told the tribunal that his client did not see any reason to call more witnesses and has decided to close his case.

    Tribunal’s Chairman, Justice Ibrahim Sirajo adjourned to Wednesday for the third respondent, APC to open its defence.

  • Osun election dispute: Oyetola opens defence

    Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola opened his defence yesterday before the state’s Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Apo, Abuja, the nation’s capital.

    Oyetola, who was represented by John Baiyeshea (SAN) and Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN), called seven witnesses and tendered election result sheets (Form EC8A) from seven polling units in Ede North and Ede South local government areas.

    Led in evidence by Owonikoko, the witnesses said the election held in accordance with the law.

    They said there were minor discrepancies in the record of results and the number of ballot papers, but that such discrepancies were not sufficient to affect the scores recorded by the political parties in the seven polling units, which were won by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The PDP and its candidate in the last governorship election in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, are challenging the outcome of the election won by the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Oyetola and APC are named first, second and third respondents to the petition.

    INEC closed its case on January 24, paving the way for Oyetola to conduct his case as the second respondent.

    Adeleke witnessed yesterday’s tribunal proceedings.

    The governor sat from the beginning at 10 a.m till noon when he stepped out.

    He did not return until the tribunal closed around 5 p.m.

    The documents tendered by Oyetola are: result sheets from Unit 10 Ward 4; Unit 10 Ward 4; Unit 7 Ward 3; Unit 8 Ward 3 and Unit 1 Ward 3 (in Edo South) as well as the result sheets from Unit 2 Ward 7; Unit 1 Ward 5 and Unit 3 Ward 5 (in Ede North).

    The first witness called by the second respondent, Raji Adekunle Musibau, said he lives in Ede and acted as APC’s agent in polling unit 10 Ward 4.

    The witness said he was accredited before he voted on the Election Day.

    He said the election was peaceful with the result counted by INEC officials, who announced it to the hearing of all.

    Musibau said the complaint about the number of used and unused ballot papers did not tally with the number of allocated ballot papers.

    The witness also said there was an error in the recording of some figures on the result sheet.

    He said: “There were corrections in the result sheet, but it did not affect the result and scores of the parties. PDP still won the unit.”

    The other six witnesses also testified that the election held as required by the law.

  • Osun gov election dispute: Oyetola opens defence

    Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola opened his defence on Wednesday before the state Governorship Election Tribunal, sitting in Apo, Abuja.

    Oyetola, represented by John Baiyeshea (SAN) and Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN), called seven witnesses and tendered election result sheets (Form EC8A) from seven polling units in Ede North and Ede South Local Governments of the state.

    Led in evidence by Owonikoko, the witnesses said the election held in accordance with the law.

    They said there were minor discrepancies in the record of results and the number of ballot papers but such discrepancies were not sufficient to affect the scores recorded by the political parties in the seven polling units, which were won by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

    The PDP and its candidate in the last governorship election in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke are challenging the outcome of the election won by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Oyetola and APC are named 1st, 2nd and 3rd respondents to the petition.

    INEC closed its case on January 24 this year, paving the way for Oyetola to conduct his case as the second respondent.

    Adeleke witnessed the tribunal’s proceedings on Wednesday. He sat from the beginning at 10am to around 12noon when he stepped out. He did not return until the tribunal rose at around 5pm.

    The documents tendered by Oyetola are result sheets from Unit 10 Ward 4; Unit 10 Ward 4; Unit 7 Ward 3; Unit 8 Ward 3 and Unit 1 Ward 3 (in Edo South LGA), and result sheets from Unit 2 Ward 7; Unit 1 Ward 5 and Unit 3 Ward 5 (in Ede North LGA).

    The first witness called by the 2nd respondent, Raji Adekunle Musibau, who said he lives in Ede and acted as APC’s agent in polling unit10 ward 4, said he was accredited before he voted on the election day.

    Musibau said the election was held peaceful, with the result counted by INEC officials, who announced the result to the hearing of all.

    He said the complained the number of used and unused ballot papers did not tally with the number of allocated ballot papers. He also said there was error in the recording of some figures in the result sheet.

    Musibau said “there were corrections in the result sheet, but it did not affect the result and scores of the parties. PDP still won the unit.”

    The other six witnesses testified in similar vein and said the election held as required.

    Three of the witnesses, who said they were not fluent in English language, testified in Yoruba, with the aid of an interpreter, who was identified as Sunday Ayodeji.

    Those who testified in Yoruba are: Ganiyudeen Muyideen Olalekan (a carpenter), Mrs. Kafayat Oluwatoyin Abdullahi, who said she is a trader, and Mrs. Suliyat Olawale, who said she is hairdresser.

    Also called as witnesses were: Olawuyi Oluranti Joseph and Popoola Hassan Abioye.

    The tribunal however rejected Oyetola’s move to call a Ward Collation Agent of the APC as his eight witness, to tender documents and give oral testimony.

    The witness, Jimoh Ismail Adetunji (who was subpoenaed) had mounted the witness stand and tendered a Form EC8B in respect of Ward 5 Ede North LGA, which he brought with him, when petitoners’ lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) objected to his being called as the 2nd respondent’s witness on the grounds he was not listed as a witness.

    The tribunal took argument, rose briefly and returned to deliver its ruling, agreeing with Ikpeazu and rejecting Adetunji as the witness of the 2nd respondent.

    Tribunal Chairman, Justice Ibrahim Sirajo has adjourned to Thursday for continuation of proceedings.

  • Osun: PDP, Adeleke’s witnesses allege over-voting

    Proceedings resumed on Monday before the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja with the petitioners calling 10 more witnesses.

    The petitioners – the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the last governorship election in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke – are contesting the outcome of the election won by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adegboyega Oyetola.

    The 10 witnesses called on Monday by the petitioners brought to 34 the number of witnesses so far called by the petitioners, who planned to call over 100.

    All the witnesses called on Monday, most of who were barely literate artisans, alleged that there were over-voting at the polling units where they served as agents of the PDP.

    Some of the witnesses could not read the statements they claimed to have signed and adopted before the tribunal on Monday as their evidence in chief in the case.

    The witnesses, most of whom could also not express themselves fluently in English language, were however unable to substantiate their allegations of over-voting.

    When asked, under cross-examination, to provide proof of their claimed over-voting, the witnesses would point to some alterations in the result sheets tendered before the court.

    When reminded, by respondents’ lawyers, that they signed the said result sheets on their own volition, the witnesses would claim to have signed after protesting.

    At a point, some of the witnesses became unruly as they refused to answer questions under cross-examination, thereby necessitating occasional intervention by tribunal’s Chairman, Justice Ibrahim Sirajo.

    Some of the witnesses, also confessed, under cross-examination, that they were not the actual PDP’s agents, whose names were submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the election.

    One of the witnesses, Mrs. Victoria Fadeke Alo admitted that it was actually another agent – Ilesanmi Samson Taiwo – who signed the result sheet as agent of the PDP in the polling unit she claimed to have represented the party.

    Under cross-examination by Wole Olanipekun (SAN) who appeared for Oyetola, Mrs Alo admitted that she was not the Ilesanmi Samson Taiwo, whose name appeared on the result sheet as the PDP agent.

    Another witness, Oyedokun Wasiu Soyode, who said he acted as PDP agent at Polling Unit 9, Ward 5 in Ejigbo Local Government also admitted not being the actual agent whose name was sent to INEC.

    Soyode, who was cross-examined by John Baiyeshea (SAN), who took over from Olanipekun, said his name was not on the list of party agent sent to INEC.

    He said it was his brother, Lateef Taiwo, who was the original agent whose name was sent to INEC, but took ill on the election day and was later admitted in the hospital.

    He said the development informed why he was asked to take his brother’s place.

    Also, Shehu Mufutau Alani , who said he acted as PDP agent in Unit 8, Ward 7, Iwo Local Government, also admitted not being the party agent, whose name was submitted to INEC.

    He said one Fadirat Isiaka, whose name was submitted fell sick few day before the election, a development that informed his choice as a replacement.

    Read Also: Senate to NLC: shelve minimum wage strike

    Under cross-examination by lawyer to the APC, Lasun Sanusi (SAN), Ajani said his lawyer wrote the witness’s statement, which he signed.

    He denied knowledge of where the lawyer got the information he wrote on the statement.

    Oyedele Waliu Ayinla, who said he acted as PDP agent at Unit 002, Ward 9 in Egbedore Local Government, could not read his statement when asked to read a portion of it.

    He was the petitioners’ last witness for the day. Further hearing continues Tuesday, Jan. 8.

  • Osun election: PDP, Adeleke tender result sheets from 27 LGs

    *To tender voters’ registers, other documents today

     

    The petitioners – the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the last governorship election in Osun State, Ademola Adeleke – opened their case on Monday at the election tribunal by tendering documents, mostly result sheets.

    Lead petitioners’’ lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), at Monday’s proceedings, which lasted from 10 to a little over 5pm, tendered a total of 492 documents – result sheets (EC8A and EC8A – VP) for 27 local governments.

    The Local Governments are Atakunmosa East, Atakunmosa West, Ayedaade, Ayedire, Boluwaduro, Boripe, Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore, Ejigbo, Ife East, Ifelodun, Ife North, Ife South, Ila, Ife Central, Ilesha East, Irepodun, Irewole, Isokan, Iwo, Obokun, Odo Otin, Ola Oluwa, Olorunda, Oriade and Oshogbo.

    Lawyers to the respondents, Adesina Agbede (for the Independent National Electoral Commission), Abiodun Owonikoko, SAN, (for Adegboyega Oyetola) and Lasun Sanusi, SAN, (for the All Progressives Congress) examined the documents, as tendered by Ikpeazu, Local Government by Local Government, and elected to reserve their objection to the point of final address.

    The procedure was a bit slow as each lawyer to each respondent took turn to examine the documents per LG, before the tribunal, led by Justice Ibrahim Sirajo, admitted the documents as exhibits, numbering each item from P1 to P492.

    After tendering the last set of documents from Oshogbo Local Government at about 5pm, Ikpeazu told the tribunal that he was willing to continue. Ikpeazu said he was willing to tender more documents, including voters’ registers from about 12 LGs.

    Lawyers to the respondents objected to Ikpeazu’s willingness to continue, citing the problem of security in Apo, Abuja, where the tribunal sits. They requested a postponement of further proceedings to the next day.

    In a ruling, Justice Sirajo agreed with the respondents to adjourn to the next day. He ordered lawyers to all parties to resume at the tribunal at 9am on Tuesday to sort out all the documents to be tendered, before the tribunal sits at 10am.

    Read Also: Tinubu hails Ambode, others for accepting party supremacy

    The PDP and Adeleke are, by their petition, challenging the outcome of the election. They are querying the victory of the candidate of the APC, Oyetola in the election.

    Respondents to the petition are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), APC and Oyetola (listed as 1st, 2nd and 3rd respondents).

    Earlier, the tribunal heard applications in relation to another petition filed by Mrs Jumoke Lawal and National Rescue Mission, with INEC, Oyetola and APC as respondents. The applications by Oyetola and APC sought the dismissal of the petition for being defective.

    After listening to arguments from lawyers to parties, Justice Sirajo said, in view of the provision of Section 285(8) of the Constitution (as amended), ruling in the applications will be delivered at the time of judgment in the petition.

  • Osun election and Yoruba quest for self-actualisation

    In a democracy, the masses are limited by the choices of their political leaders – a few powerful people who decide ‘who gets what when and how’ – (Thomas Dye and Harmon Ziegler ‘The Irony of democracy’). Of course intra-elite rivalry is a common feature of the ruling elite but one area of elite consensus is in the imposition of their preferred candidate. This is a fact that was lost on Ademola Adeleke’s PDP party men who, in an attempt to stop him, went to court  alleging  he  was ill-equipped to contest  for the office a governor having allegedly failed the only school certificate paper he attempted or those who defected from APC over  alleged breaching of zoning arrangement. But as it has turned out for both the PDP and APC, the final outcome of the election had very little to do with their candidates.

    What was at stake before the re-run election was the future of Yoruba, a great nation that according to Professor Banji Akintoye, has allowed smaller nations to run over it because ‘it has chosen to stand still as a result of its bad politics’. But after the Osun near-debacle, the Yoruba political elite, for the first time in several decades, rose to the occasion by going into an alliance with Iyiola Omisore, the strong man of Ife.  The prompt response of governor of Oyo and governor-elect of Ekiti to Senator Bukola Saraki’s visit to Omisore was a reminder of the defeat of Ilorin-led Jihad against Yoruba land by Ibadan in Osogbo and the deployment of 25,000 soldiers by Ekiti to defend Ife against any threat during the 19th century war. (Akintoye)

    But come to think of it, is it not first, immoral for PDP to attempt to reap where it did not sow? For rejecting him and his PDP in 1999, Obasanjo persecuted Yoruba all through his presidency (1999-2007). In pursuance of his doomed ‘mainstreaming’ agenda, he deployed military tactics to outwit the Afenifere leaders in 2003 and went on to rig all southwest governorship elections except Lagos State. For out-foxing him, he decided to punish Lagos by illegally sitting on Lagos State’s local council allocations for two years in defiance of court orders. His government rejected calls for the repair of Lagos International Airport road, Apapa Tin-can Island Port Road, Ibadan-Ilorin road, Lagos Otta road, Sagamu-Benin road and the rehabilitation of the Third Mainland Bridge.

    The marginalization of Yoruba by Obasanjo’s PDP was not a myth. Speaking during the selection exercise of the current Ooni, he said “I was here in this palace 10 days before the demise of kabiyesi and he told me how the Yoruba race is marginalised in the scheme of things. He also told me to ensure that the Yoruba race got its own share of things in the country.” That never happened. Before then the Alaafin of Oyo had also accused him of “paying lip service to issues that could assist the cause of the Yoruba’.Jonathan continued with his godfather’s legacies.

    Then in December 2017, the leading Yoruba contenders for the chairmanship of PDP were outwitted by Nyesom Wike who drafted Raymond Dokpesi and Uche Secondus very late into the race. While withdrawing from the race in protest, Bode George had said “”Since the ancient days when the Yoruba people began their historical challenges on the plains and the hills of Ile-Ife, we have always been defined by our instinctive integrity, our methodical industry, our consistent loyalty and our steadfastness in protecting and defending the truth.”He then went on to lament that PDP’s, “legitimate and morally sound micro-zoning principle has now been trashed, dumped in the waste bin, flung into the gutter by very little men who have compromised the pivotal moral anchor of civilised engagement for temporary selfish gains”.

    Chief Bode George also said: “PDP has lost its soul, lost its principled beginning and the predications of righteousness. It has traded the finer principles of democratic guidance and equity for the squalid, dirty and shameful resort to mercenary agenda where nothing matters save the putrid, oafish gains of the moment”. He lamented:”The Yoruba people have been openly maligned. The Yoruba have been savaged, tormented, treated with contempt, scurried, scoffed at, humiliated and denigrated by little men whose sun will soon set”. He then demanded that “Governor Nyesom Wike must as a matter of priority and ethical importance tender unreserved apology to the people of Yoruba land for his unguarded utterances on national television”.

    Except perhaps for Chief Olu Falae and perhaps Pa Ayo Adebanjo, who not too long ago praised Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu for liberating Yoruba land from Obasanjo and his PDP but today appears to have misgivings about the battle for self-actualisation he and his other Afenifere leaders had waged for over 60 years, I am sure Bode George who today understands the challenge before the Yoruba nation will have inner satisfaction that Wike’s PDP was prevented from reaping where it has not sowed.

    The historic action also has effect on the Yoruba renewed struggle for self-actualisation within the greater Nigerian nation. Yoruba want a more egalitarian society for themselves and for other ethnic groups in the country. For that task, Awo in early 50s assembled Yoruba educated elite of solid character, to fashion out a vision for his people. These young visionaries  set up the Western Regional Marketing Board in 1954 which  developed the cash crop industry in the West and together with other regional boards “became the dominant economic system in the Nigerian economy controlling 63% of the foreign exchange earned by the country in 1961”. They also set up banks and housing estates.

    Under the military, the promulgation of “Commodity Boards Decree in 1977” by Obasanjo destroyed the Western Region’s economy. As PDP’s elected president  between 1999-2007, some of the PDP governors he personally imposed on Yoruba states under his failed ‘mainstreaming agenda’ behaved like outlaws sharing government estates and haggling over who was to buy government banks and other industries they inherited.

    It was not until 2016 during Yoruba governors’ parley initiated by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, DAWN that it was agreed that “the key to leveraging our uniqueness is the regional approach to dealing with our afflictions, overcoming our difficulties, as well as creating sustainable pathway to progress together”.

    Wike’s PDP foothold in Yoruba land would have threatened this new reawakening.

  • Defeated Adeleke rejects result

    The Independent National Electoral Commission#s (INEC) declaration of victory for candidate of ruling APC, Gboyega Oyetola, in Osun governorship election has been rejected by Sen. Ademola Adeleke, of PDP.

    Adeleke, in a statement in Osogbo by his campaign organisation’s spokesperson, Mr Olawale Rasheed, said he would seek legal redress.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, the APC candidate defeated Adeleke with 482 votes in the rerun poll.

    Oyetola scored a total of 255,505 to defeat Adeleke who scored 255,023.

    Adeleke, however, alleged that voters were deliberately refused access to polling points at gun points while those allowed to voting centres were forced to vote for APC.

    He said PDP party agents were arrested, beaten up and shut out of polling centres while the roads were blocked to stop voters and observers.

    “Applying all standards, today’s supplementary poll is a non-event as all norms of the electoral process are violated,” he said.

    But the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun said the people of the state had spoken through the ballot

    A statement by Mr Kunle Oyatomi, APC Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy in Osun, said PDP got their votes in the first election through manipulation.

    Oyatomi said that nobody expected that the PDP would come second during the election, adding that most people in the state believed that it would be a straight fight between the APC and SDP.

    “We have always known and have made ourselves clear before the election that the PDP had made elaborate arrangement to rig the election through the manipulation of the card readers.

    ” And it was this process that made them get the votes allocated to them in the first ballot.

    ” We like Osun people to understand that the run off votes went the way it did because the PDP was unable to manipulate the card readers this time around and fortunately the police thwarted their plot of buying and trying to use the PVCs of unsuspecting voters.

    “That was why some of their leaders were arrested. So the PDP should look for other excuses.

    “They attempted to win by fraud, they failed in the first round and eventually lost the rerun election,’’ Oyatomi said.

    NAN reports that the election was declared inconclusive and a re-run ordered because the number of cancelled votes was higher than the margin between the two top candidates.

    Adeleke led the race with 254,698 votes, 353 votes more than his closest rival, Gboyega Oyetola of the APC.

    The margin was, however, less than the 3,498 votes in the polling units where voting was cancelled.

    Consequently, INEC Chief Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Joseph Fuwape, declared the poll inconclusive and ordered a re-run.

    “Unfortunately, as the returning officer, it is not possible to declare any party as the clear winner of this election at the first ballot,” Fuwape had said. (NAN)

  • From inconclusive to conclusive: Osun election and its drama

    For the dramatis personae in the Osun State governorship election, the victory of Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) dropped the curtain on the keenly-contested poll. EMMANUEL OLADESU and BUNMI OGUNMODEDE write on what shaped the election and what is next in the State of the Living Spring.

    Lessons of the poll:

    The lessons of the governorship election in Osun State are very instructive. The succession battle was full of surprises. The candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Gboyega Oyetola, was pushing for continuity. His Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rival, Senator Ademola Adeleke, disagreed, saying that change was the answer. The people went to the poll. Their verdict: continuity and consolidation. Finally, the battle was won and lost yesterday.

    The first lesson is that voters cannot be taken for granted. The performance of an incumbent governor will always count on the day of election. Also, a divided house may not stand the rigour of contest. Thus, a party should always put its house in order. When there is a split in a ruling party, the next election will be turbulent. The implication is that the governor, who doubles as party leader, should combine governance and politic with dexterity.

    Another lesson is that the elite, who may suddenly halt their peculiar armchair criticisms, may rise up in the time of logjam to moderate the process by insisting that only a competent material is fit for leadership, his populist tendency notwithstanding.

     

    A tough election:

    The exercise was not a walkover for any candidate. It was tough. The campaigns were tasking. Forty eight candidates were in the race for the Bola Ige House, Osogbo. But, eyes were eventually on Oyetola and Adeleke. Anxiety enveloped the two divides. The keenly contested poll was declared inconclusive last Saturday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), due to some infractions. The apprehension heightened. Adeleke, “the dancing senator” was leading Oyetola by 353. But, the narrow margin was neutralised in yesterday’s supplementary election. From the back, the APC flag bearer was catapulted to victory.

    APC and PDP were flexing muscles ahead of the election. It was not the best of times for the two major parties. Although he fought the infrastructure battle with vigour, Governor Rauf Aregbesola was handicapped by dwindling resources. Salaries were not paid as at when due. Civil servants were grumbling. Respite could only come few days to the election. The PDP continued to drum it into the ears of the electorate that a government that had failed to pay salaries and pensions should pack and go without installing a successor. Also, compatriots were deserting the governor, who they accused of high handedness and intra-party dictatorship.

     

    Tension in APC, PDP:

    The ruling party was battling with another test of survival. Its shadow poll generated big controversy. Following Oyetola’s emergence as candidate, his co-contestant, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti from Iwo, defected to the African Democratic Party (ADP) to fly its ticket. Many chieftains defected along with him. Former APC chieftains began to fire salvos at the platform. Reconciliation was futile. On poll day, 23,000 votes from Iwo that should have gone to APC were cast for ADP. It was a waste of ballot. Another contestant, House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Lasun Yussuff was apparently kept at arm’s length. He maintained a dignified silence. The result at his native Orolu council was a disaster for the APC.

    In Ilesa West, residents were angry. Their local leader, Aziz, led many members to defect to the ADP along with Adeoti. Thus, APC was beaten.

    But, the PDP was not insulated from crisis either. Its nomination process was not less acrimonious. One of its strong pillars, Senator Iyiola Omisore, dumped the party to seek refuge under the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Little did the party know that the Ile-Ife-born gladiator will later become its albatross. If Omisore had remained in the PDP, the party would have either won on the first ballot last weekend or at yesterday’s rerun.

     

    Beautiful bride Omisore:

    Like the Zik of Africa in the Second Republic, Omisore became the beautiful bride. PDP and APC leaders swarmed his residence at Ife. He seemed to hold the ace. Following a deep reflection, he cast his lot with the APC. His justification was that the PDP, and especially Adeleke, had betrayed him. He recalled that in 2014 when he had a seeming bright chance, his governorship ambition was scuttled by Adeleke’s elder brother, the late Senator Isiaka, who defected to the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to join forces with Aregbesola. To him, that was in bad faith.

    Yet, Omisore was persuaded to support the senatorial ambition of Ademola Adeleke in the PDP, following the death of his brother. The APC had denied Adeleke its ticket. The risk produced a fatal effect on poll day. There were two factions of the PDP, led by Soji Adagunodo and Dr. Bayo Faforiji, who was a loyalist of Omisore. To pave the way for Adeleke at the primary, Omisore asked a senatorial aspirant, Bade Falade, to withdraw from the race. The agreement was that the Adagunodo faction will support Omisore’s bid for governor in 2018. At the by-election, Omisore played a prominent role in titling the pendulum of victory towards Adeleke. Later, Omisore was humiliated out of the party.

    The emergence of Adeleke as the PDP candidate rattled majority of the elite in Osun who were helpless. The entertaining senator promised nothing. His manifesto was unknown. Due to obvious limitations, he shunned public debates. But, he trod the path of populism, engaging the grassroots during his door-to-door campaigns. He became a crowd puller for his nuisance value.

    Had the APC put its house in order, perhaps, the story would have been different. The power of incumbency collapsed on poll day. Prominent party stalwarts relocate to Osun to salvage the situation. Between APC and PDP, there was a clash of strategies. Both parties had enormous resources at their disposal. There was a clash of money. Yet, the money influence failed to deliver victory to them last week. To make a headway, APC reviewed its strategy. PDP also reviewed its tactics. The rejected stones became the cornerstone of the house. APC leaders had to secure the commitment of Adeoti, Senator Adebayo Salami, Lasun Yussuff and Omisore to get victory.

     

    A bridge to 2019:

    The poll was important to the two parties. Their leaders wanted to use it to make a point. PDP had hoped to bounce back in the State of Living Spring. If the party had won the election, it would have energised its leaders as a morale booster to gaze at 2019 with confidence and optimism. In contrast, it would have amounted to a monumental tragedy for the APC, if Aregbesola is unable to handover to an APC governor. It would have been a mockery of state and federal incumbency.

    For the APC, the poll results have further affirmed the Southwest as the stronghold of the progressive bloc. There will be no PDP governor in the region as from November.

     

    Future of APC, PDP, other parties:

    APC is savouring the joy of victory. But, its leaders are locked in a sober reflection. If not for last-minute effort, gloom would have descended on the Osun chapter.

    Having won the poll, the party should rededicate itself to the service of the state. The onus is on the incoming governor, who is expected to also assume the reins as the party leader, to learn from the lessons of the past. He should build in the achievements of his predecessors. He should also avoid the mistakes that threatened to liquidate the party.

    Reconciliation is the watchword. Aggrieved members who had defected to other parties should be pacified so that they can retrace their steps. In 2014, APC lost nine councils to the PDP. In this election, both APC and PDP ran neck and neck. Therefore, APC should know that Osun has an alternative.

    Osun APC should always promote a culture of inclusion. This is necessary to foster a sense of belonging. The chapter should do away with impunity. A crisis resolution mechanism should be in place for people to air ventilate their grievances. The culture of imposition should give way. The party may also review its position on zoning because it has become an emotive issue.

    There are more battles ahead. How will Osun APC handle its parliamentary nominations in a way that will not further divide the fold? Will the chapter not risk more defections, if the shadow poll is devoid of fairness, equity and justice?

    Governor-elect Oyetola has historic responsibilities on his shoulders. He should not be content with being a technocrat. He should be a politician. Oyetola will be presiding over a divided ruling party and a divided state? Can he be a symbol of unity in Osun APC? Can he unite the chapter? Can the incoming governor also unite Osun?

    For the PDP, there are more battles to fight. The major opposition party should not sleep. It should be alive to the role of an opposition in a democracy. The narrow defeat is distressing. Will the chapter accept its fate and move on? Will it challenge the outcome at the tribunal?

    For another four years, the party will be left in the cold. But, it will have an opportunity to make a point in next year’s elections. What are the projections of the Osun PDP for 2019? It is evident that the party has spread in the state. Therefore, if it builds on its current electoral achievement, it has a better chance of winning many parliamentary seats in next year’s elections.

    Senator Adeleke’s senatorial seat is still intact. He has an opportunity to re-contest. What will be his next move?

    The PDP should also embark on reconciliation. Key­­ chieftains who have left the fold should be brought back. Regression to blame game will be counter-productive.

  • Osun Election: U.S. hails INEC’s performance

    The United States has endorsed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s decision to declare the Osun State governorship elections inconclusive.

    The country however urged the winner to be declared after today’s supplementary election to be magnanimous in victory and the loser to be patient in defeat.

    American Ambassador to Nigeria Stuart Symington who said this in Kaduna yesterday, noted that the rerun is vital because every vote need to count given the fact that there was 353 vote margin between the two leading candidates, while over 3,000 votes could not be cast.

    Symington, who was represented by the Charge’d Affairs Mr David Young, urged the people to vote peacefully and accept the results of the elections peaceful as well.

    “We want to commend the people of Osun State for their peaceful vote last Saturday it was very positive for democracy, the people went to the polls in such large numbers about 700,000 voters, that is certainly an expression of democratic freedom that we applaud. We also applaud the peaceful contest that took place, the work of security operatives that guaranteed the peaceful votes.

    “I want to say that the electoral commission did a good job in terms of what we saw. The decision of INEC to go ahead and have a rerun in seven polling units is the one that we respect. Given the fact that there was almost 353 vote margin between the two candidates and a couple of a thousand votes were not able to be casted. Certainly this is a decision that makes sense.

    “We want to say that for the voters, through no fault of their own were not able to vote, it is important in a democracy that every persons vote is sacred and is allowed to count. Clearly as we go forward with the votes tommorow (today) in a democracy one side wins and one side loses. We want to emphasize that the people vote peacefully in the conduct of the election and accept the results peaceful as well.