By Faridah Yusuf
With the recently concluded primaries in Osun state, the governor of the state, Gboyega Oyetola won the governorship primary of the APC leaving a clear gap between him and his opponents (Moshood Adeoti and Lasun Yusuf).Oyetola, supported by the National leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu won the primary by recording 222,169 votes to defeat the former governor, Aregbesola’s candidate, Adeoti, who pulled 12,921 votes, while Lasun came third with 460 votes.
This primary result has brought about discrepancies between the 2 fractions of APC in the state in their view of how the primary election has gone. One fraction of the party has claims of fraudulence in the conduct of the election mainly coming from the opposing fraction (Aregbesola/Adeoti).
The minister, Aregbesola has threatened to legally challenge the election result, indicating that there were malpractices at the primary election as he firmly stated that the votes were “farcically counted in favour of the governor,”Adeoti himself has pledged to seek Oyetola’s disqualification in court.
In a statement given in Osogbo, the state’s capital, he (Adeoti) reacted to the election result by expressing his strong intention to object the result of the election which he regarded as Oyetola’s “pyrrhic victory”.
He also accused Oyetola of employing violence and intimidation to make the primary election not free and fair. He claims that “there was violence in Olorunda Local Government, where the Ward 3 Chairman of the Rasaq Salinsile-led APC in Olorunda Local government, Mr. Sala Ademola and his secretary, Mr. Ailsefini were kidnapped.
Our supporters were also disenfranchised in all the wards in Ife East by not being accredited and being intimidated with thugs wielding dangerous weapons.On the other hand, a popular member of the party and former Deputy Governor of the state, Senator Iyiola Omisore, has advised all candidates in the primaries to accept the results of the election in good faith.
Omisere, speaking after voting at his Ife East Moore Ward, Ile-Ife has expressed his view on the election, stating that it was a transparent process “and will satisfy the voters as well.”With the primaries now concluded, and what appears to be the beginning of a new stage of conflict between the two fractions of the party in the state as Aregbesola and Adeoti vow to contest the election result.
Will there be intervention?
.Oyetola, supported by the National leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu won the primary by recording 222,169 votes to defeat the former governor, Aregbesola's candidate, Adeoti, who pulled 12,921 votes, while Lasun came third with 460 votes.){kind=link}