Oyetola Wins APC Ticket for Osun Governorship Election…

After intrigues and alleged vote buying from delegates by various contestants in the Osun State All Progressives Congress governorship primary, Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s Chief of Staff, Oyetola Isiaka polled 3,214 votes to emerge winner. He defeated Yusuf Lasun who scored 374 votes and Salaam Najeem who polled 134 votes.

The contest was adjudged peaceful though voters registers could not be used in all the wards. Where the register was not available, counting of delegates were done under the strict supervision of the security personnel sent to maintain peace. There was also a report that the name of one of the contestants was not included on the ballot paper.

Contrary to claims that direct primary system introduced to the primary would prevent inducement of voters, governorship aspirants on Friday stormed voting centres with money in Osun State as each delegate was given at least N2000.

The money was openly displayed while voters were on queue collecting money shared by representatives of the aspirants.

Security agents were at each ward visited by our correspondent while the counting was done.

However at Union Baptist Government School, ward 4, Osogbo Local Government, representatives of the aspirants who were seen in two groups within the school premises, were distributing money to those that supported them.

All the supporters were given N2,000 while policemen and civil defence corps looked on.

At Salvation Army School, Alekuwodo, ward 5, Osogbo, voters were stranded waiting for electoral register till they left in the afternoon.

The leading aspirants and Chief of Staff to the Governor of the state, Gboyega Oyetola, commended the security and electoral officers for peaceful conduct of the primary.

Another aspirant, Mr. Kunle Rasheed Adegoke complained that only one register was brought out of the 10 polling units in his ward at Ward 3, Olorunda Local Government, Osogbo.

He stressed that voting material were not brought to wards 9, 10 and 11 in Boripe Local Government Area of the state where he monitored, adding "at a ward in Olorunda, they didn't use voters' register, they just asked people to queue and they were counting them and in the whole of Boluwaduro Local Government, no accreditation was done.

The Secretary to the state government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, had in the morning announced his withdrawal from the race due to the alleged perfection of plan to impose Oyetola.

No fewer than 350 ,000 delegates converged to vote, in the exercise which took place in 332 wards as direct primary was adopted in all centers in the state.