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Tag: Osun guber poll

  • PDP screens 11 aspirants for Osun guber poll

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is currently screening 11 aspirants that have indicated interest in the party’s ticket for the Osun State governorship election.

    The eleven aspirants are Senator Akinlabi Olasunkanmi, Dr. Oyewumi Olalere, Oladipo Oke, Felix Ogunwale, Fatai Akinbade and Ezekiel Adeniyi.

    Others are Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi, Ayoade Adewopo, Adejare Bello, Senator Ademola Adeleke and Prof Adeolu Durotoye.

    Chairman of the screening committee, Mr Austin Opara who spoke to journalists at the party’s Abuja secretariat on Monday, said the party would provide level playing field for all the aspirants.

    Opara said, “We are determined to do things right. The new leadership of the party has said we must rebrand the party. We will be guided by the guidelines of the party, the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and the PDP constitution.

    “We will not import any material that is not in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the guidelines. The constitution for instance has specified the age limit, especially with the passage of the Not-Too-Young-To-Run Bill into law”.

    Opara announced that all the aspirants have returned their nomination documents and assured that the process will be transparent.

    “The exercise is a process and it is clear in all that the party is doing, including the screening that is taking place today. It is going to be very transparent because we want the best for the party and of course, the best for the party is the best for the country. We would be transparent and fair to all concerned.

    “At the end, we want the best for our nation. You can attest to the fact that things are falling apart in the country today as led by the ruling party, even in Osun State. The only party that can give Nigerians hope today is the PDP,” Opara said.

  • Osun: Tribunal upholds Aregbesola’s election

    Osun: Tribunal upholds Aregbesola’s election

    The Osun State election petitions tribunal on Friday upheld the victory of Governor Rauf Aregbesola in the August 9, 2014 governorship election in the state

    The tribunal headed by Justice Elizabeth Ipejime in its verdict declared Aregbesola as duly elected governor of the state.

    The tribunal said the Independent National Electoral Commission was right in declaring the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate as winner of the election having scored the highest number of valid votes.

    Aregbesola had defeated his Peoples Democratic Party’s challenger, Senator Iyiola Omisore, in the election after recording 392, 284 votes, while his opponent polled 292 742 votes.

    Omisore thereafter challenged the election results at the tribunal, citing irregularities in the conduct of the poll, among other objections.

     

  • Osun poll: Shehu Sani warns against rigging

    The President, Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria, Comrade Shehu Sani, on Friday warned against the rigging of Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State.

    He also asked Nigerians to resist coercion and brigandage in the state.

    Sani, who gave the warning in a statement, condemned the use of troops to intimidate voters in Osun State.

    He said: “The Osun State gubernatorial election must not be rigged. The massive deployment of troops and the gale of arrest of All Progressives Congress chieftains in the state stands condemned. The people of Osun and indeed all the people of Nigeria must stand firm in the defence of free, transparent and fair election in Osun.

    “Any attempt to rig the Osun election amounts to declaration of war against all Nigerians and a deliberate mutilation of our constitution. Ekiti must not repeat itself in Osun.

    “The use of heavily armed troops by the Federal Government is aimed at intimidating the voters of Osun just as it was done in Ekiti. Nigerians must resist coercion and brigandage.”

    Sani said it is possible for Nigerians to resist deployment of troops for elections nationwide.

    He added: “We fought military dictatorship to a stand still and we can together defeat the misuse of armed troops to rig elections.

    “The resort of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and their dogs to use the presence of soldiers to win elections is a testimony to their unpopularity. PDP believes and depends on physical force to win elections.

    “Injustice and evil flourishes when it’s not resisted at its budding stage. Osun elections will determine the sanity, orderliness or otherwise of the 2015 general elections. All Nigerians must be interested in what is happening in Osun.”

    He asked the people of Osun State to rally round Governor Rauf Aregbesola for second term in office.

    He said: “Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is a genuine progressive and an upholder of the politics of principles and ideology. He is a freedom fighter and an incorruptible leader. He competently and meritoriously deserve a good second term.

    “The people of Osun must resist the return of slavery and slave owing government of the PDP In the state. The people of Osun should not bring back the rusted chains of the PDP.”

  • Governorship poll: Oyegun, APC leaders relocate to Osun Monday

    …PDM drops candidate

    As part of the final leg of the preparations for the governorship poll in Osun State, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and top leaders of the party will from Monday relocate to Osogbo, the state capital

    Also, the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) on Friday said it has withdrawn Mr. Oludare Timothy Akinola as its governorship candidate for the poll.

    The relocation of APC leaders was contained in a statement issued in Abuja by the APC National Chairman, Odigie-Oyegun.

    The statement said: “This is to inform the general public and millions of our dear members, and supporters that as from 4th August 2014, the National Secretariat of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) – the Change Agent – will relocate to Osogbo, Osun State, until after the 9th August, 2014 gubernatorial election.

    “The relocation to Osogbo is in deference to an ancient African proverb which states that rats cannot eat the fish of the man who is awake and watchful. Hence APC leadership wishes to reassure our millions of members, supporters and compatriots, that we shall keep awake to guide and protect our mandate.

    “This also serves as notice to all state chairmen of the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory to attend the final public rally of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osogbo on Tuesday, 5th and the subsequent meeting with the National Working Committee on Wednesday, 6thAugust 2014, after the grand rally on the 5th.

    “I use this opportunity to salute the courage of the good people of Osun State for their courage and steadfastness in the face of intimidation and militarization of the state.

    “I appeal to our dear compatriots in Osun State to ignore all manner of provocation and turn out massively to vote for Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola to continue his good works, and clean government, in his second term.

    On its part, the PDM in a statement signed by its National Chairman, Dr. Oluwole Akinwumi, said it had dropped Akinola as its candidate for the governorship poll.

    The statement said: “The Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) took the decision in June to withdraw Mr. Oludare Timothy Akinola as its candidate in the forthcoming Gubernatorial Election in Osun State and the party has not changed its position in this regard.

    “The decision of the party and its reasons for withdrawing Mr. Akinola as its flag bearer was communicated to the Chairman INEC, the Chairman of PDM in Osun State and Mr. Akinola himself.

    “The party is therefore surprised to find listed in a newspaper publication, the name of Akinola as one of the 20 gubernatorial candidates participating in the August 9 governorship election in Osun State on the platform of PDM.

    “This press statement is issued to draw attention to the earlier decision of the party to withdraw Mr. Akinola from contesting the election on its platform and to dissociate the party and its members in Osun State from the newspaper report.

    “Our party members in Osun State and the general public are to take note.”

  • Jonathan, Omisore meet at Villa

    President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday met behind closed doors with the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in the forthcoming Osun State election, Senator Iyiola Omisore, at the Presidential Villa Abuja.

    Omisore, who was dressed in a light purple “agbada”, was driven to the Villa at about 1pm in a federal government-owned black Toyota Land Cruiser jeep with plate number FG838H42.

    He was unaccompanied during the visit which lasted for about 30 minutes.

    He, however, declined to speak with State House correspondents on the issues discussed at the meeting.

    Before he was driven out of the Villa, he told journalists: “I am coming back. I am coming back.”

    The discussions at the meeting may not be unconnected with the governorship election coming up in the state.

    His emergence as the PDP candidate in Osun has led to former governor of the state, Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke defecting from the party to team up with the incumbent, Rauf Aregbesola of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

     

  • Osun guber poll: Omisore, two others vie for PDP ticket

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun on Wednesday said three persons have indicated their interests to vie for the party’s nomination in the state’s governorship race.

    The PDP Chairman in the state, Alhaji Gani OlaOluwa, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Osogbo.

    The party had set December 31, 2013 deadline for members interested in the position to pick an Expression of Interest form after paying N5 million.

    OlaOluwa gave the names of the aspirants as – Hon. Oluwole Oke who hails from Obokun Local Government Area, Sen. Olasunkanmi Akinlabi from Ayedaade Local Government Area and Sen. Iyiola Omisore from Ife East Local Government Area.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that While Oke was a former House of Representatives member, Akinlabi was a former Senator and one time minister.

    Omisore was a former deputy governor and former Senator.

    The PDP chairman said the trio fulfilled the conditions set by the party for those wishing to aspire for nomination.