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Tag: Osun State

  • Nine Osun APC state officers defect to ADP

    …Party says they have right of association

     

    Nine members of the state working committee of the All Progressives Congress in Osun State have defected to the Action Democratic Party (ADP).

    Before the defection, they tendered their letter of resignation jointly signed and addressed to the Chairman of the party, Mr. Gboyega Famodun.

    According to them, they took the decision after due consultations with their mentors, close political associates and public and lovers of the party.

    The nine out of sixteen state officers were led by the Deputy State Chairman of APC, Alhaji Azeez Issa Adesiji.

    Other members are Alhaji Tajudeen Agbeti, Ex-officio, Prince Ademola Bamidele, State Auditor, Alhaji Rasheed Bakare, Assistant General Secretary, Akinola Morakinyo, State PRO, Wole Adunola, Ex-officio, Dr. Idayat Bakare, Assistant Welfare Secretary, Mrs. Ogundare Aina Afolabi, Assistant PRO and Alhaji Sikiru Karim, Assistant Treasurer.

    In a swift reaction, the party said they have the right to exercise their right of association.

    The APC said: “Everybody has a right to believe or disbelieve in the party.”

    In a statement by its spokesperson, Kunle Oyatomi, the party said: “Their reason for leaving is not convincing. They think that by claiming they are leaving with so called 6000 followers is going to make them the next government in Osun, they live in a fool’s paradise.

    “They underrated the issue involved in the next election. It is not about individual, it is collective. And it is about the legacy of 8 solid years of enviable achievements. If they don’t see anything good to defend in what has happened in the APC in the last eight years, too bad for the defectors.

    “Even their guber candidate, Alhaji Adeoti admitted on radio this morning that even the blind could see the good work of Aregbesola. And we ask: ‘which party is best suited to continue with that good work? the answer surely is the APC and it has the capacity and capability in Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola, its candidate for September 22 guber election.”

    The party said it wished them luck.

  • When culture of identity beckoned in Ife

    For six days, the atmosphere at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, was agog with cultural celebrations when people gathered from different parts of the world for this year’s OAU Ife Festival of Food and Identity. Edozie Udeze reports.

    It is a festival initiated to constantly remind Nigerians that culture is a way of life.  It is to tell the general public that no matter what, people should always be conscious of who they are; the type of food they eat, their mode of fashion, identity and all.   These and more were what the OAU Ife Festival of Food and Identity which ended yesterday in Ife was meant to prove, not only to the University community, but to the entire populace.  There is an inherent and intrinsic value in the abundance of cultural heritages God has bestowed the people with.  This was why this year’s Obafemi Awolowo University annual festival was aptly tagged OAU Ife Festival with emphasize solely placed on food and identity.

    For a whole week that the event lasted, the university environment wore a new look.  The glow on people’s faces showed how exited they were to welcome this model and epoch-making event.  It was an event that attracted people from different parts of the world.  It was time for people to see, feel, savour and rummage in the natural beauty of Ile-Ife as home of deep cultural elements and traditions both for blacks at home and those in the Diaspora.  From Rwanda came their national troupe which dazzled with assortment of costumes , dances and deep evocation of drumming.  The troupe showed classical dance steps inside the Oduduwa Hall where guests sat in clusters totally glued to the stage to savour the nuances of profound, slow, steady and energetic dances by the Rwandans who came all the way from Kigali with their Minister of Agriculture named Dr. Geraldine Mukeshimana, a woman obviously in love with culture.

    The Rwandans drew attention to series of ballet dances anchored around harvests and food culture.  They held the audience spell-bound for hours just because their dances were never hurried.  At every point, they changed their costumes to simple but dignifying forms, just to suit and dazzle the mood.  They were gorgeous in very simple but exotic ways, showing that truly culture defines a people and brings to the fore their true identity.  This was why their representative told this reporter that ‘we have to be a part of this.  It is for us to prove that culture is not just universal, it is dynamic; it is to promote the unity of Africa.  We are here because Ife means a lot to the world.  It has the global concept to preserve what keeps us as one in Africa”.

    Also in attendance were the troupes from Benin Republic whose Bolojo troupe embellished the arena with masquerades.  The masquerades welcomed guests as they besieged the entrance of the Oduduwa Hall, venue of the programme.  Adorned in different colourful costumes, they deployed all sorts of artistic styles, gimmick and displays to keep in form.  As guests came in, the drums heralded, the dancers took their proper positions as the masquerades mesmerized the arena.  The fun was totally euphoric, making both the old and young to stop and watch.  The drums came in different sizes of staccato and provocative tunes.  They beckoned on the people to join in the beauty of the moment.  The crowd cheered, surging on from all directions, dancing and waving to the crowd.

    The frenzy erupted and suddenly increased in tempo.  The arena equally became charged with more masquerades from Ikirun, Osun State, joining them.  This time the varieties of them further accentuated the mood as they all spoke in strange ancestral voices.  Most people could get closer to them now to be able to hear and decode those untoward invocations.  Yet, it was really time to identify what the people love to see – the meeting point between old and new or what Abiodun Olanrewaju, the PRO of OAU described as the old and new testaments.  But put more succinctly, it was the moment for town and gown to co-habit, giving birth to an absolute celebration of the pure values of the indigenous peoples of different hue and cry.

    For this, Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede, the Vice-Chancellor of OAU described the festival as an apt period to reinvent the motto of the university.  The motto is for culture and learning.  He said, “You can’t learn without your culture.  This was why the founding fathers of OAU inserted it in there.  As you learn, you also carry your culture along.  You have to recognize that fact.  This is why we have the Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka here in our midst.  This programme includes the opening of a museum in his name here on campus.  It is to give honour to whom honour is due.  This culture of respect has to be honoured in our society.  We thank our Professor Emeritus for the privilege to be here today”, the VC asserted.

    For Ogunbodede, “this festival is for us to also recognize the fact that culture is continually evolving.  For this reason, the idea that we can preserve culture is a fallacy. We can only preserve culture in a historical context and certainly the Institute of Cultural Studies of OAU gives prominence to archival activities.  However, it is equally important that we study culture in a dynamic context.  In other words, we have to study its evolution too”, he said.

    An excited Ogunbodede thanked the Ogun State government for its support, so also other institutions that made the festival possible.  The climax of the event was when Soyinka was presented with a roasted yam to cut to usher in the official opening of the food identity.  This he did with relish and aplomb as the students cheered him on and the array of traditional rulers, chiefs and custodians of the people watched with unbridled administration and honour.

    In her remarks, the Ogun State deputy governor Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga who stood in for Governor Ibikunle Amosun said, “we are here also to honour our Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka in whose name a museum has been opened on this campus.  Yes, anything and everything Wole Soyinka simply excites us.  Although WS goes beyond our State of Ogun and indeed beyond the shores of Nigeria, nonetheless we are pleased that he is one of those Nigerian figures that have helped to place our nation on world map for all good reasons …”

    The festival which had been disrupted on several occasions due to paucity of funds, was begun in Ife in 1970s.  But Ogunbodede has promised to bring back those glorious years to make culture a dynamic issue.

    From now onwards, the festival will be staged by the university to keep the identity and culture of the students and the people together. Most of the guests who attended also agreed that it was time to make culture paramount in the thinking of the people. This was why the festival was well celebrated by both the young and the old and some of the foreigners who found time to come. A Rwandan who summed it up said “Nigeria is full of cultures. It is a place to come to see the beauty of the people and what makes them thick.”

     

  • Behind the scenes at the triumphant Osun APC Governorship Primary

    sun State is notable for many reasons. It is host to the ancient town of Ile-Ife, the cradle of the Yoruba and seat of the Oonirisa, the traditional religious and cultural ruler of the Yoruba. It also hosts the Obafemi Awolowo University, a citadel of learning that is ranked among the top three most alluring university campuses in the world, and in whose halls echo the footsteps of intellectual giants like Wole Soyinka. Of course, Osun State occupies a prominent place in the international cultural calendar because of the annual Osun-Osogbo Festival which attracts visitors from all over the African Diaspora- Cuba, Brazil, United States and Haiti. The festival is in honor of the Yoruba goddess Osun, wife of Sango (the god of thunder and third Alaafin of Oyo) who turned into the river from which the state takes its name. Osun-Osogbo Festival takes place in the vicinity of the sacred Osun-Osogbo Grove, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where you can find famous sculptures by the revered Austrian artist Susanne Wenger (Adunni Olorisa), who during her life was the self-appointed custodian of the grove and leader of the New Sacred Art movement which she founded in Osogbo.

    Beyond the purely cultural and religious, Osun is also notable for political reasons. In Nigeria’s fourth republic, Osun State was the arena for an extended power struggle from 2007 to 2010 between conservative and progressive forces represented by the former governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the current governor and eventual winner of that struggle, Rauf Aregbesola of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The struggle started with the violently rigged 2007 Osun Gubernatorial Elections that were contested all the way to the supreme court by Aregbesola with evidence gathered from forensic examination of ballot papers and videos recorded using body cams, a first in Nigeria at the time. This period in Osun State contributed significantly to efforts to sanitize the electoral process in Nigeria. It was one of the most notorious episodes of electoral robbery and helped to inspire a movement for electoral reform that coalesced into the Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reform (CODER). CODER, coordinated by former NADECO Secretary Chief Ayo Opadokun, and with substantial moral leadership, legal strategy and financial support from Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and fellow travelers, was able to pressure the Yar’Adua Administration to set up the Justice Uwais Panel on Electoral Reform. The Uwais Panel  made far reaching recommendations on how to establish free and fair elections in Nigeria. A member of the panel, Prof. Attahiru Jega, was eventually appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Thus, we could say that Osun State was the cradle of the electoral reform process in Nigeria.

    Now Osun State is once again developing into the cradle of another important and required feature of Nigerian democracy- namely INTERNAL DEMOCRACY.  This is a topic that I have previously written about in my blog (https://muyiwagbadegesin.com/blog/2017/9/7/march-to-freedom-4-pigs-cant-fly-nigeria-needs-young-eagles). I have also preached about internal democracy on my social media channels as one of the key steps to fixing Nigeria, the others being ideology-based politics, campaign finance reform, local government autonomy and radical transparency in governance (https://twitter.com/muyiwag).

    Considering my prior advocacy for internal democracy, you can imagine my pleasure at being selected by the APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomole, to be a member of the Governorship Primary Election Committee chaired by Governor Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari of Zamfara State. The committee also included Senator Ovie Omo Agege, a serving senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District, Honourable Nze Chidi Duru, a former member of the House of Representatives, and Comrade Peter Akpatason, a current member of the House of Representatives representing Akoko-Edo Federal Constituency.

    Besides the five committee members, the chairman of the committee drafted a high powered team of political functionaries from Zamfara State into the committee to compliment our work. These include Senator Tijjani Kaura (Zamfara North),  Alhaji Lawali Liman (Zamfara State APC chairman), House of Representatives members, House of Assembly members, commissioners and local government chairmen. After collecting our appointment letters, terms of reference and guidelines for the election from the national headquarters, we proceeded to the Zamfara Governor’s Lodge in Abuja for initial briefings and meetings. We were graciously received by Governor Yari who introduced us to the members of his team. We discussed modalities and initial strategies. Our departure was delayed for a day while we waited for the election materials. These materials were essential to the successful conduct of the election. Just as INEC treats their election materials like holy scripts, we wanted to ensure that we collected the authenticated materials and established a clear chain of custody. Properly documented electoral materials would be essential as evidence in case of legal challenges by any of the aspirants. The election materials for the Osun State primary election included the state APC membership registers, the ward results sheets, the local government results sheets and the state results sheet. Since the National Working Committee had decided on direct primaries using option A4 which involves queueing of voters in front of the poster or agent of their candidate of choice, there was no need for ballot papers. The materials were inspected and signed for by the chairman of the committee and then sealed in secured containers for the trip to Osun.

    Due to the infrequency of commercial flights to Osun, the chairman of the committee had secured a chartered flight to Ibadan Airport where we were met by officials of Osun APC and driven in a convoy to Osogbo. By the time we arrived in Osogbo, there was a lot of tension among the aspirants and their supporters. This was probably due to the lack of information about the modalities of the primary. In the past, APC and its progressive precursors in the southwest like Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Action Congress (AC), Alliance for Democracy (AD) and  Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) had always selected candidates by consensus which was often just another word for imposition. The selection would be done by party elders, and all other party members would be expected to adhere to the decision. This practice is not ideal because there are often no clear cut criteria to determine the winner. The quality of the candidate chosen through such an ad-hoc process is entirely dependent on the sagacity or otherwise of the elders. At best, this particular style of candidate selection could be attributed to the Yoruba culture which rightly puts great store on the wisdom and experience of elders. At worst, imposition is simply due to reluctance of elders to relinquish any control at all to the younger generation who outnumber them. Over the years, the failure of the progressive family to evolve better methods of candidate selection has led to loss of interest in party politics particularly among the younger generation. There is low party membership and also low turnout during elections. Parties are viewed as cults that operate solely for their own benefit. The culmination of the negative trend is the current situation where voters expect to be paid before they vote for any party. For the Osun election, the aspirants had not been expecting the party to use the consensus method but rather indirect primaries, a slightly better system of candidate selection. The aspirants had been working towards indirect primaries by focusing on appeasing identified delegates with various juicy packages in cash and kind. They were thrown for a loop when the National Working Committee decided to use direct primaries instead. The week preceding our arrival in Osogbo had witnessed progressively escalating tension that was not helped by incendiary full page adverts by some of the aspirants accusing party leaders of working to favor a certain candidate who was believed to be favored by the establishment.

    We held a stakeholders meeting at the party office a few hours after our arrival in Osogbo. The tension was so thick that you could have cut it with a knife. It didn’t help that the aspirants had been seated for several hours before our arrival. Despite this, they and their supporters welcomed us pleasantly enough. The meeting was chaired by the Acting Chairman, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege whose fame had preceded him.  The recent mace snatching episode at the national assembly, and his battle against the dictatorial ways of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, had turned him into a hero of sorts among APC members. He addressed the aspirants on behalf of Governor Yari who was held up with other urgent party affairs in Abuja. The Senator explained the direct primary process that had been adopted by the National Working Committee of the party. His clear explanation of the guidelines appeared to douse some of the tension. The Acting Chairman assured the aspirants that the elections would be free and fair. Despite this, during the question and answer session, one of the more vocal aspirants, Barrister Kunle Adegoke (K-Rad) raised allegations that we had come from Abuja with pre-written results for the election, and that one of the governor’s aides was at that very moment supervising thumb printing of ballot papers at government quarters. While these accusations were patently false and self-contradictory, they could be attributed to the tension and fear arising from our delayed arrival, and lack of details of the method to be used for the election. As I stated earlier, the most recent elections had been conducted with delegates voting in indirect primaries. For this method, there are two types of delegates: statutory delegates who are members of the party executive at various levels and elected representatives of the party like governors, local government chairmen and house of assembly members; and elected delegates that are chosen by party members during ward or local government congresses to represent all members at the state congress or national convention. In the past, indirect primaries have often been open bazaars where delegates sell their votes to the highest bidder. For example, in a state with 3,000 state delegates, a governorship aspirant could buy 2000 of these delegates for 200 million naira at 100,000 per delegate. Thus, the party tickets at all levels were up for sale. This Balogun Market democracy is close to impossible in a direct primary because every verified member of the party can vote and it is virtually impossible to pay off so many people. Instead, aspirants would have to focus on winning the minds and hearts of party members through a sustained track record of loyal service to party and nation and through establishment of personal and community outreach programs that deliver value to party members in their respective constituencies.

    The lack of preparation of the aspirants was evident in their alarm at the request by the committee that they should provide lists of their agents in the 331 wards in the states. A serious aspirant for a statewide office like governor should already have agents in every ward. Surprisingly, only 6 of the 17 aspirants were able to present their list of agents. Other aspirants betrayed their lack of preparedness in other ways. During the question and answer session, one of the aspirants, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Lasun Yusuf, in a manner more suited to street brawling between agberos (bus conductors), resorted to bellicose posturing, finger-pointing and intimidating statements directed at the perceived establishment candidate, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola. This was most unexpected of an aspirant to high office. There was also a lot of rhetoric from those advocating against imposition and those advocating for power shift to their favored zone. Instead of the expected response of ‘PROGRESS’  to the chant of ‘APC’ by successive speakers, the crowd of party members responded variously with ’NO TO IMPOSITION’ or ‘WEST LO KAN’ (it is the turn of the west senatorial district).

    To calm frayed nerves and demonstrate full transparency, the committee invited the aspirants and their agents to assemble later that night to inspect the electoral materials that we had brought from the party headquarters. This step seemed to work its magic as most of the aspirants appeared to finally accept our stated intention to conduct a free and fair election- although Adegoke insisted that the party membership register was actually the INEC register. Apparently, he was not aware that the party had conducted biometric membership registration according to polling unit in 2014 before the last general election. It turned out later that he had not even taken part in that registration exercise and thus was not in the membership database. Fortunately for him, the committee granted an exception for aspirants who were not in the membership database since many party members had joined the party since the registration exercise. Despite this concession, Adegoke still filed an appeal after the election.

    The logistics of the direct primary itself was another matter. How to go about ensuring that 200,000 plus party members were able to vote and the results ferried back quickly from the wards to the local governments to the state collation center? How to ensure that there was adequate security at each voting point and collation centre and even during transit? Elections are a notoriously violent in Nigeria, and already one of the aspirants had allegedly recruited thugs from the notorious gang leader Sunday Igboho from neighboring Oyo State. During his declaration in his hometown, Sunday’s boys accompanied that aspirant in a show of force complete with gunshots renting the air and display of dangerous weapons. Ensuring security was the one issue which required the full support of the governor. Fortunately, Governor Aregbesola is a no-nonsense type with deep roots in the rough and tumble world of Lagos politics. He took charge as the chief security officer of the state and gave firm instructions to security formations to ensure absolute security during the primaries. He also sent a warnings through private channels to all notorious thugs that any invasion of Osun State would be their last. Going by the peace that dominated on that day, they took this warning seriously.

    The All Progressives Congress in Osun State was well prepared for the direct primary. The Party, headed by Prince Gboyega Famoodu, had selected LG and ward election committees according to the NWC guidelines, and had gone to extra lengths by engaging a consultant to train the local government election committees on the documentation required for a successful election- a big factor because of the largely administrative nature of elections.

    Initially, in order to maintain a level of control, the committee had considered the option of conveying party members from all wards of an LG to vote centrally at the LG headquarters- but this option was eliminated because of its logistical impossibility. To maintain adequate supervision and oversight of the process, the Committee decided to send one member of the Zamfara Team to each LG as supervisors of the LG Election Committee. This decision was critical. All the members of the Zamfara team were highly experienced in politics, governance and elections and could provide a steady, neutral hand in the LGs to which they were assigned. They were coordinated by Senator Tijjani Yahaya Kaura assisted by Alhaji Lawali Liman.

    Each of the Zamfara LG supervisors, with their assigned LG electoral committee then moved with the election materials to each LG centre and distributed the materials to the ward electoral committees who then moved to the wards to conduct the direct primary. At the ward level, members were first accredited between 9-12 am and then asked to queue in front of the poster or agent of the aspirant of their choice. After this, the number of party members on each queue was counted by the electoral officer and results announced over a handheld public address system. Once the results were entered on the ward results sheet and signed by the agents and electoral officers, the results from each ward were taken to the LG collation center where they were entered into the LG result sheet. The signed results from each LG were then taken to the state collation center at the state party office in Osogbo where they were entered into thesState results sheet by members of the state committee. Attaching LG supervisors from state electoral committee to each LG committee was an effective control measure that helped to win the confidence of aspirants and their agents- because the supervisors were impartial arbiters from another state. Members of each LG election committee were also chosen from other local governments so they could not be accused of bias.

    An additional control measure adopted by the committee was to send members of the state electoral committee to serve as roving monitors in each senatorial zone. I was assigned to Osun East seantorial zone with Alhaji Liman. The election was at an advanced stage in most areas we visited and some results were already coming back to the LG centres. There was peaceful, orderly conduct by party members- probably due to adequate sensitization by the party apparatus prior to the election. People already knew what to do. As we moved through the senatorial zone from Ilesha to Osu to Ile-Ife to Moro , we encountered large crowds at every ward who had come out in a festive atmosphere with much backslapping and camaraderie. The direct primary had become a festival of democracy.

    The success of the direct primary for the Osun Governorship primary is practical proof that Option A4 is the best system to entrench internal democracy. It is a transparent system because it requires physical queueing and counting- figures cannot simply be written with impunity as with other systems. Option A4 is an open expression of choice: no coercion is involved and it demands each voter to consider their choice carefully and proudly show the world where they stand. They must be willing to make a public show of support for their candidate. Option A4 is also better because it encourages greater participation because there is safety in numbers. When people see large numbers of their peers gathering in this manner they are also encouraged to participate. Another major advantage of Option A4 for direct primaries is that party members become automatic stakeholders because of their involvement in a transparent process. It is easier to unify members after the primary because no-one is likely to feel cheated.

    It is hoped that the party will continue to use the direct primary method to entrench internal democracy. This will be of benefit not only to APC but also to larger society and the nation because we will be able to select higher quality candidates for positions of responsibility at local, state and national levels.

    In conclusion, it is fitting that Osun State, the source of a vibrant Yoruba culture that has extended to the four corners of the globe, may also turn out to be the source of a new transparency and internal democracy in party affairs in Nigeria.

     

     

    Gbadegesin Phd is APC Member, Kajola LGA, Oyo State,

    Former Commissioner of Health, Oyo State,

    Former Special Adviser to the Governor, Oyo State,

    Former Senior Special Assistant to the Governor, Lagos State

     

  • We will not tolerate killing of Policemen – IGP

    The Inspector General of Police Force (IGP), Ibrahim Idris on Wednesday sounded a note of warning to criminals.

    The Police Chief who said the killing of Policemen in Abuja and Edo State were not justified added that the Nigeria Police Force would not tolerate further attacks on its men.

    The IG disclosed this in Abuja during the monthly meeting with Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Assistant Inspector General of Police  (AIGs), Commissioners of Police and other senior Police officers.

    Idris said some suspects who have been arrested in connection to the killings are presently undergoing interrogation.

    He said: “Our officers in Abuja, Edo and other parts of the country came under attack by some miscreants.

    “They just picked on Police officers not because of anything  but because Police have been very strong in ensuring that the right thing is done in this country.

    “Some miscreants picked on policemen not because of anything but because they stood by the law. These are done by people that don’t mean for this country.

    “The Nigeria Police Force at the various levels of responsibility will not tolerate any killing of Police officers.

    Read Also: Atiku mourns ex-IGP Coomassie

    “I want CPs of Commands, AIGs and DIGs to ensure that officers are galvanised to tackle any group of individuals or group of people that pick on policemen because they are Police officers and doing their job of providing security in various parts of the country.”

    He added: “In all parts of the country, anybody that attacks a policeman does not mean well because all we do is to protect lives and property.  We don’t take sides.

    “I think Nigerians need to understand that our commitment is to the law of this country. I think Nigerians should understand our commitment and that I believe is what some people were not happy about because I do not see any justification for anybody to attack policemen who were doing their job.”

    On those arrested, he said: “We have arrested some suspects and they are presently going through interrogation and investigation.”

    The IG who said he did not overdeploying men to Ekiti State hinted that similar number of personnel deployed to Ekiti for the governorship election would be deployed to Osun State.

    “I did not see any overdeployment. Deployments are done based on requirement.  The demand in Ekiti led to the deployment of 30,000 personnel and it is normal.We are going to do same in Osun

    “We are going to be having various elections in different parts of the country. In Osun, we are going to deploy officers to be able to provide enough security for the election in order to ensure that we record the same success recorded in Ekiti.”

    On the drama that played out where eight House of Assembly members were granted access to the Assembly and others denied entry by the Police, the Police said: “We are fully on ground to provide security. The 22 members that impeached the speaker, how did they sit? Is it not the same House? So we are not partisan.”

  • A postmortem of Osun PDP primaries

    The divergent views and actions trailing the outcome of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship election primaries in Osun State, suggest that the party could be headed for a crisis.

    If the contentious issues are not attended to,  the matter is likely to get to a monstrous level.

    This is not the time to pretend as if all is well, because doing so would only help the budding controversy to grow.

    It is no longer news that Senator Ademola Adeleke was declared the winner of the governorship primaries, a development that now threatens the party’s chances.

    Irrespective of the narrative that an Adeleke candidacy could be in sync with the power shift narrative in the state, his victory has only divided the party.

    Considering that election is just less than two months away, observers think the happenings in Osun require more than calls for calm.

    Bayelsa State governor, Seriake Dickson, who supervised the September 22, 2018 exercise, said Adeleke scored 1,569 votes.

    He saId Adeleke’s closest rival, Mr Akin Ogunbiyi, the Chief Executive Officer of Mutual Benefit Assurance, scored 1,562 votes.

    Alhaji Fatai Akinbade, a former Secretary to the State Government, scored 56 votes while Mr Nathaniel Oke, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) scored 3 votes.

    Dickson said the expected delegates were 3,448 while accredited delegates who participated in the election were 3,246.

    He said 56 votes were voided, adding that any aspirant who is not satisfied with the result can appeal to the National Working Committee of the party.

    As a result of what other contestants described as the poor conduct of the poll, Adeleke is beign accused of not mustering the number of votes to qualify him as candidate of the PDP.

    It goes further to explain that the outcome of the election  remains a subject of concern to most party members.

    They were found to have been disappointed, disillusioned and confused by the outcome.

    It has been alleged that there are issues that  compromised the integrity of the exercise.

    Some identified factors include alleged non-adherence to the clear provisions of the Electoral Guidelines, manipulation of the accreditation, voting, sorting and counting of the votes cast by delegates at the primaries.

    Another point that had been raised is that the  document submitted by Adeleke as evidence of his educational qualification up to school certificate level did not meet the basic qualification stipulated by the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act.

    The Dickson panel was also accused of allowing illegalities to reign supreme during the election.

    And a lot of instances had been cited by those privy to the inside story.

    For instance, it was gathered that during the process of sorting, a significant number of votes casted for Ogunbiyi were wrongly counted as invalid despite protest by his agents.

    To buttress that, eyewitnesses said,  all the aspirants’ votes were counted loudly and publicly, except Adelekes’ which form the basis of the first announcement of until his agent protested and demanded a recount.

    The insistence that all other aspirants’ votes, including the purported void votes  be recounted as was done in Ogunbiyi’s case was vehemently declined by the panel Chairman.

    This, however, increased the suspicion that there was a premeditated stance on the election.

    Some parts chieftains are aggrieved that contrary to Section 30 F, many unaccredited delegates were alleged to have been allowed to vote without tags or any form of identification numbers.

    So many alleged anomalies were also gathered to have shaped the exercise, a development said to have run could of best practiced, total number of ballot papers was not publicly.

    For instance, many illiterate delegates were said to have been denied the right to choose who should write the name of their preferred candidate on their behalf.

    This  may have been responsible for the large number of purported invalid votes.

    It was learned that the result sheet was not given at the conclusion of the exercise but was only received on behalf of one of the candidates  18 hours.

    That was why the candidate rejected the result, describing it as defective and  contrary to section 31 B of the Electoral Guideline.

    In the light of these, there are calls  for justice.

    In fact, most party members want a  response from the panel to prevent the APC from having the opportunity to exploit the crisis.

    Instructively, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, allows for withdrawal by candidates/substitution of withdrawn candidate by political parties not later than 45 days to the election.

    In fact, Section 35(1) of Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended)  provides not later than 45 days to the election.

     

    • Aleshinloye writes from Ikire

     

  • Only God can determine Aregbesola’s successor – Traditionalists

    Ahead of the September 22 Osun governorship election, the traditional worshippers under the aegis of the Ancient Religion Societies of African Descendants International Council (ARSADIC), have said only God could determine Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s successor.

    He warned politicians against using violent and dubious means to get to power, saying doing so would give dire consequences.

    In a statement in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, ARSADIC President, Aare Sola Olalekan Atanda, charged the politicians to demonstrate high level sense of responsibility in pursuing their aspirations.

    Atanda, who is Asiwaju Awo Agbaye and Aare Alasa of Osogbo, warned against do or die ambition and campaign that promotes hate speeches.

    Read Also: Dickson hails Aregbesola’s political tolerance

    “Let your campaign be issue-based. Engage the people in your interaction with them to know their minds. Instead of dolling out money to buy their conscience. Proof to the people that you are going into office to serve their best interest and they would submit their sovereignty to you,” he advised.

    He also advised the electorate not to sell their votes to “desperate politicians but to see beyond today and into the future with so much to benefit through good governance.

    According to him, it is imperative for people to demand accountability and keep the politicians on their toes at all times instead of looking for immediate pecuniary rewards.

    He prayed for successful governorship election and emergence of the best candidate that can serve public interest.

  • 48 parties to participate in Osun guber poll – INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said on Wednesday that 48 political parties filed nominations for the Sept. 22 governorship election in Osun.

    INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this at the swearing-in of two Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

    Yakubu said that the commission was currently processing the nomination forms.

    “Our preparations for the Osun governorship election continued in earnest.

    “Nomination of candidates closed yesterday (Tuesday) in line with the timetable and schedule of activities released by the commission in October, 2017.

    “A record number of 48 political parties have nominated candidates for the election. The commission is currently processing the nomination forms,” Yakubu said.

    The two new RECs were Garba Madami and Ahmed Mahmud.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that President Muhammadu Buhari had earlier on Wednesday sworn in Mr Festus Okoye, a human rights activist, as INEC National Commissioner.

    Yakubu said that ‎with the new RECs, INEC now had the full complement of 12 National Commissioners and “all but two RECs”.

    He expressed optimism that the new RECs would bring their knowledge and experience to bear in the conduct of free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria.

    The Chairman advised them ‎to quickly familiarise themselves with the relevant provision of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), INEC’s plans, guidelines and regulations as well as established processes and procedures.

    “On the practical side of your work, you must immediately interact with your staff and pay attention to their welfare.

    “Also visit the local government offices in your states and assess the various facilities and critical requirements for the 2019 general elections, ranging from the recruitment and training of ad hoc staff, logistics and more.

    “Within the confines of the law, I encourage you to be imaginative in responding to the needs of the electorate and add value to the electoral process.

    “In doing so, always seek for clarification and, where necessary, the approval of the commission.”

    He said that Madami would be deployed to Kwara while Mahmud would work in Kebbi state.

    Yakubu disclosed that INEC has also received additional declaration of vacancies from the Rivers and Taraba Houses of Assembly.

    These, according to him, were in respect of Port Harcourt III State Constituency and Takum I State Constituency in Taraba.

    “Since the law requires the commission to conduct the elections within one month from the declaration of vacancy, the bye-elections in Rivers and Taraba will be held simultaneously on Aug.18.

    “The timetable and schedule of activities for the two elections will be released tomorrow after the weekly meeting of the commission.

    “With this development, the commission will be conducting six bye-elections before the Osun Governorship election scheduled for Sept. 22. (NAN)

  • ‘My government will not depend on federations account’

    Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the September 22 governorship election in Osun State, Adegboyega Oyetola has said that if elected as governor of the state, he will rely less of allocation from the federation Account, but seek other means of increasing Internally Generated Revenue.

    Oyetola also assured civil servants in Osun state that if elected governor of the state, he will pay all the outstanding salaries within 12 months of assuming office, while insisting that the current government in the state did not owe salaries to junior workers in the state.

    Oyetola who was at the APC national secretariat to complete formality for the submission of his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission also said that the resignation of the Secretary to the State Government Moshood Adeoti will affect his chances of emerging the governor of the state.

    Adeoti who was one of the aspirant foe the APC ticket withdrew from the race on the allegation that his Senatorial district of Osun West was being marginalized has however picked the governorship ticket of the Action Democratic Party (ADP).

    He said he will increase the Internally generated revenue of the state without necessarily increasing tax, but ensuring that those who are supposed to pay tax, but have not been doing so pay appropriate tax to the government.

    “First of all, most state has been challenged by the lack of fund over the years But there is this misconception on the issue of salaries about Osun state. We paid salary from level one to seven. We do not owe anybody in that category. We paid 75% for people on level 8 to 10. The only category of people we owe is actually from level 12 to 17 as well as pension.

    “So, when you talk about owing salary, people tend to forget that it is not across board. Salary is fully paid from level one to seven, up to date. Levels eight to ten, we pay 75%. It is only portion of 12 to 17 that is being paid 50%.

    Read Also: I’ll go any length to restore peace in APC, Says Oshiomhole

    “Yes, it is a challenge that we all recognize. But we believe that will not persist for too long. My attitude and the method I want to adopt is not to entirely rely on allocation that comes from the federal government but to look at the means to seriously develop the IGR, not necessarily by increasing tax, but by ensuring efficiency in terms of collection and by bringing people who have been evading tax to come into the bracket. You can still get more by doing all of that without necessarily increasing tax.

    “So we are committed to paying whatever that is outstanding and we are looking forward to be able to pay full salaries subsequently. In any case, why do we want to be in government if we can not think outside of box? We must be very creative, that is the essense of being in government anyway. I believe in another one year you would have seen that things would have changed to better.”

    “Well, SSG is my brother actually, I would have loved that he remains in the party. But as a matter of choice, he decides to leave the party. There is nothing anybody can do about that.

    “But as to whether it will affect my fortune during the election, I don’t think so. One, if you look at the result of that election, I had 127,000 votes. These are purely members of our Party. We are going to have opportunity of other voters.

    “On the average, we usually have about 600, 000 or so serious voters. If you look at the percentage of that from members of our Party alone and with the kind of programme I want to run, and the fact that people seem to have that level of trust in me, I believe I will have more not only from the APC which is our base, even from the generality of the people.

    “So, I wish him well. He is a somebody I have some regards for too.  Sometimes politics is like that. You path and meet again. I wish him well”.

  • ‘Youths are not encouraged to participate in politics’

    Yemi Lawal recently assumed the position of Osun State Youth Leader for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) after his principal, Otunba Iyiola Omisore, and others left the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) earlier in the year. He speaks on the future of SDP and the plan of the youths to be more actively involved in the politics of the state ahead 2019, reports Adetutu Audu

    WITH the passage of the Not Too Young to run Bill into law, many Nigerian youths have decided to join the political train ahead of 2019 General Elections.

    For Yemi Lawal, the Social Democratic Party, Youth Leader in Osun State, youth inclusiveness in politics and transition is key. According to him, his mandate and objectives are very clear; the younger generation has been neglected and ignored in the times past and it is time to take the bull by the horn.

    “We can’t continue to do things the same way and expect a different result. So, the mandate is youth inclusiveness in politics and transition into governance,” he said.

    Commenting on the #nottooyoungtorun bill passed into law amidst jubilation in most quarters. He said that the bill should be embraced by the youths so as to show the older generation that the youths are actually useful by getting involved more in politics and making positive impacts in the entire society.

    So, what does their movement from the People’s Democratic Party to SDP portend for Chief Iyiola Omisore and many PDP faithful that also defected?  He said that Otunba Iyiola Omisore and a host of others decamped to the SDP basically out of principle. “Like I said earlier, you don’t expect a different result doing things the same way. As we can all see in 2015, Nigerians voted for change which has brought us where we are today in Osun State and Nigeria as a whole, and as a patriotic Nigerian, there is need to be pragmatic and find a  credible alternative that can begin to do things differently  because we cannot continue like this,” he noted.

    Lawal also described Omisore’s governorship ambition as a deviation from the past, adding; “We shall begin to do things differently and feel the positive impact of democracy. Democracy is about the people and nothing but the people; anything you are doing without a positive impact on the populace can never be regarded as dividends of democracy but things done for self-aggrandizement”.

    Asked if youths in Osun State have been fairly included in governance and if they have enjoyed the dividends of democracy, he said “youths have not been adequately encouraged to participate in politics not to talk of governance. We are here to change the rhetoric and do things right. Youths are usually the engine room of any nation and the involvement of youths in governance cannot be overemphasised’.

    On the plans of SDP in the coming elections, Lawal said SDP have shown intention to lead and that is what makes the difference. “Leadership is totally different from ruler ship and what we are experiencing today in Osun State is ruler ship and like I have been saying, we need a totally different approach to governance, which is what SDP is coming to do.

    “Our government is going to have more of people with technical capability to manage various sectors and people with youthful energy that can withstand pressure and make things happen.  The youths in Osun are going to have the opportunity to have a government that would be close to them, understand their needs and the opportunity of taking part in decision making as it affects the teeming populace,” he said.

    The present administration, he also alleged, “failed in terms of youth development and engagement. For instance, it seems impossible for the commissioner for youths, whose age is not youthful, to bond with the teeming youths. The state Youth Leader of the APC is a grandfather; how does this combine to ensure youth development when the contacts are not even youths. It is important to note that we must begin to put the right people in the right position if we expect to have a good and positive impact,” he said.

  • Seven Osun PDP governorship aspirants withdraw from race

    At least seven governorship aspirants of the People Democratic Party in Osun State have withdrawn from the primary election of the party going on in Osgbo, the state capital.

    Those that stepped down from the race before commencement of the primary at the GMT Event Centre are former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Adejare Bello; a lawyer, Dr. Ayoade Adewopo; a university don, Prof. Adeolu Durotoye; former chairman, Irewole Local Government Area of Osun a State, Chief Lere Oyewumi; former chairman, Federal Road Maintenance Agency, Engr. Jide Adeniji; former Minister of Youths Development, Senator Olasunkanmi Akinlabi; and former Senator representing Osun Central in the Senate, Chief Ogunwale.

    Read Also: Osun PDP screens 11 governorship aspirants

    But Senator Ademola Adeleke, Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi, Barr. Nathaniel Oke and Alhaji Fatai Akinbade, still remain in the race.

    The governor of Bayelsa State, Sierake Dickson, is the chairman of the party’s electoral panel conducting the primary where over three thousand delegates would be voting to elect the party’s candidate.

    Unlike the All Progressives Congress that used  direct primary on Thursday to pick its flag bearer, the  PDP is using delegate method to elect the party’s candidate.