The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) today declared incumbent Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola as the winner of Saturday’s governorship poll in the state. According to the INEC, Aregbesola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won in 22 out of 30 local government areas of the state to defeat his main challenger, Senator Iyiola Omisore of the Peoples Democracy Party (PDP) who won in eight local government areas. Omisore’s running mate, Obada, PDP chairman lose in their polling units Leading lights of the APC had on Thursday obtained an interlocutory injunction from an Ile-Ife high court presided over by Justice A. Abdulkarim to restrain the inspector-general of police and the director-general of the State Security Service (SSS) from tampering with their fundamental human rights pending the determination of the main suit. Initial failure of INEC to make identification tags available for APC agents nearly disrupted the poll in over 100 polling units across the state. Also, the early results indicate that many of the leaders of the PDP in the state lost in their polling units. They include the PDP’s candidate’s running mate Hon. Adejare Bello, former minister of state for defence Erelu Olusola Obada, and the party’s chairman Gani Ola-Oluwa. Bello lost the election in his Ede North polling unit where his party scored 30 votes as against APC’s 130 votes. The state chairman of PDP, Alhaji Gani Olaoluwa, also lost the election in his Olorunda local government polling unit where PDP scored 95 votes as against APC’s 142 votes. Aregbesola’s APC won the election in his Ifofin Ward 08, Ilesa East local government where he got 214 to PDP’s 11 votes, while the acting chairman of the APC in the state, Elder Lowo Adebiyi, did not lose: APC trounced the PDP with 108 to 59 votes. Former minister of state for defence Erelu Olusola Obada lost her Ibodi, Atakumosa West local government, polling unit where PDP scored 3 votes while the APC scored 300 votes. In Ede North where Senator Isiaka Adeleke hails from, the APC scored 640 votes as against the PDP’s 9 votes. However, The PDP flagbearer, Senator Omisore, made a strong showing in some polling units in Ife zone: he scored 149 votes in Ife Central Ward 05, Unit 01, while the APC scored 73 votes. Also defecting former Osun State governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola could not deliver to the APC, which scored 61 votes as against PDP that scored 125. Nonetheless, the election was preceded by claims and reports of arrest of some members of the APC by armed security operatives who allegedly stormed their residences after nightfall. Notwithstanding, the election was conducted under a peaceful atmosphere in many towns. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) made good its promise to ensure that election materials arrived at polling units on time while voting started as scheduled in many local government areas. Large turnout, tight security in Osogbo There was a large turnout of voters in most of the polling booths visited by LEADERSHIP Sunday early yesterday in Osogbo, Osun State. INEC officials were at their duty post as early as 8am with security agents complementing their services. As early as 8:25am, over 30 people had been accredited to vote at Bishop Street Unit 002 in Olorunda LGA, Osogbo. Aregbesola expresses delight at election process Governor Aregbesola has expressed delight at the conduct of the governorship election in the state. Aregbesola, who was accredited in Unit 1, Ward 8, Ifofin, Ilesa, at 10:45am, said he was sure of victory in the poll. The governor, who was accompanied by his wife Sherifat and his two children, urged the people of the state to maintain the existing peace in the state. Aregbesola walked from his Ilesa home with his party supporters, expressing happiness with the way the electorate conducted themselves. Voters came out in large numbers while electoral officers arrived promptly for the exercise. Omisore votes, decries high rate of thuggery, intimidation Governorship candidate of the PDP Senator Omisore cast his vote at Unit 3 in Ward 1 in Moore area of Ife East LGA about noon. Speaking with newsmen shortly after he cast his ballot, he confirmed the arrest of members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for various electoral offences. He said, “We cannot say we have 100 per cent confidence on INEC. You cannot have 100 per cent confidence on any process that is managed by human. Even as an engineer, you cannot have 100 per cent confidence on the efficiency of a machine. We have arrested some All Progressives Congress chieftains with electoral materials. There is intimidation and high level of thuggery. “With what I have seen, I can only pass 70 per cent confidence on INEC.” Obanikoro defends militarization in Osun The minister of state for defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, has defended the federal government’s decision to involve the military in the Osun State governorship election, saying that it would have resulted in bloodletting. The minister, while addressing journalists in Ibadan, debunked the claim that he was in Osun State for the election. According to him, soldiers were drafted to Osun to maintain peace and orderliness during the election. “Our interest is having a free and fair election which President Jonathan and we his disciples believe in. If the military had not been drafted to Osun’s election, blood would have been flowing there. “You, gentlemen of the press, can see me in Ibadan live and direct today (Saturday). As you too see, I am not in Osun talk less of being part of the election there,” he said. He alleged that the APC had invaded Osun with thugs, saying that what APC was doing was in contradiction of electoral guidelines. How gunmen stormed my house eve of election- Sen. Salami A chieftain of the APC, Senator Bayo Salami, yesterday narrated how he and his family narrowly escaped death at the hands of “gunmen” who stormed his residence at the GRA in Osogbo, capital of Osun State, at about 10:05pm on Friday. The home of the former federal lawmaker is less than five minutes’ walk from a police command and directly opposite a court premises. Salami, who represented Osun Central under the Alliance for Democracy (AD) between 1999-2003, told newsmen at his Olu-Ode polling unit that the gunmen numbering about 15, including a lady, came in a bus and a sport utility vehicle. He said: “They beat up my security at the gate and carried him away. They did all that, so me and my family moved into one room. “They shouted ‘open the door or will we will shoot it down’. They shot at the door thinking it was a wooden door. They shot at the door several times but they could not gain entry. When you go to my house now, you will see the pellets littered around.” He said upon their failure to gain access to him and his family, they turned on themselves, blaming one another for the failure of their mission. “They fought themselves before leaving my compound. They were saying to themselves, ‘I told you we should have come here earlier.” On whether he reported the matter to the police, he said, “I don’t have cause to go to the police. I sent text to people who could help me out.” He noted that he had a tip-off of an intended attack on him, adding that he instructed his wife, who is related to the minister of police affairs, Jelili Adesiyan, challenging him on what had transpired. He said masterminds of such attack deserve not to live in the same society with decent people.
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 05:54:10 +0000
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