Supporters of Osun Governor Gboyega Oyetola and Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola have expressed mixed feelings about the conduct of Saturday’s gubernatorial primary. All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state.
While Oyetola’s supporters described the exercise as peaceful and impressive, Aregbesola’s faction said the exercise was riddled with irregularities.
Commenting, state lieutenant governor Benedict Alabi described the exercise as peaceful, while the turnout was impressive.
Mr. Alabi, in his district 006 in Ikire, Irewole Isokan Local Government Area, said that the party members were orderly and that no cases of violence had been reported.
“I am happy that we have a peaceful, free and fair primary.
“The fact is that there is only one candidate who is contesting the primaries in Osun and that is the incumbent governor.
“We have the other faction with two candidates, but they are not seen here,” said the lieutenant governor.
Furthermore, Finance Commissioner Bola Oyebamiji praised the impressive turnout and peaceful conduct of the primaries.
Mr. Oyebamiji, speaking at his Ward 009 in Ikire, praised the efforts of security officials to ensure a peaceful environment for the primaries.
The commissioner said he was confident Oyetola would come out on top in the primary.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the party’s faction loyal to Aregbesola, Razak Sanisile, said the primaries were “full of anomalies”.
Salinsile told reporters at his Ward 004, Isale-Oba in the Iwo Local Government Area of the state, that party registration was not available to them.
“Until today we have not seen the record of the match, which is against the rules of the game.
“At the very least, each applicant is expected to have a copy of the membership register, but none do.
“We raised it at the stakeholder meeting at the party secretariat. Many of our supporters cannot find their names in the registry. All these anomalies will influence the outcome of the elections.
“I see it as just an exercise, a waste of time and resources,” he said.
In addition, the president of district 008, local government of Ilesa East, Adegoke Saheed, loyal to Aregbesola, said that the process was full of irregularities.
Mr. Saheed alleged that the party registration used for the primaries was different from the one used during registration, noting that the names of its members were missing from the registration.
He said that the absence of Mr. Aregbesola, whom he claimed was on an official mission for President Muhammadu Buhari, did not allow his complaint to receive attention.
“It was in the morning that we learned that Rauf Aregbesola had left on an official assignment assigned to him by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“That is why he was not there to monitor or participate in the process.
“If the minister has been there, they will listen to him with all my complaints. They would not have used the incumbency power that they used,” Saheed said.
‘peaceful exercise’
However, the chairman of the Primary Committee, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazak, praised the peaceful conduct of the exercise.
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AbdulRazak, who spoke to reporters while monitoring the exercise in Iragbiji, praised party members for their impressive turnout and peaceful conduct.
He said the peaceful conduct contradicted many’s expectations of the exercise.
“Let me congratulate the people of Osun State and APC members. What is happening here shows that the party is alive and strong. You can see that in the large turnout. If you open the pages of today’s newspapers, what was painted was a picture of war in Osun.
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“But, the primary election has been peaceful. I congratulate the people of Osun and all the applicants. Everyone has done well,” she said.
In his reaction, the president of the APC Council of Elders in Ife Central, Felix Awofisayo, said: “Everything went smoothly in my center.
“There is no rancor, no fight or acrimony, both the accreditation and the election were carried out peacefully and were free and fair elections.”
He urged the people of Osun to vote for the APC candidate during the upcoming gubernatorial elections to be held on July 16.
Mr. Awofisayo made the petition while casting his vote at Ife Girls High School, Iremo Ward 11, Eleyele in Ile-Ife.
He thanked party members for their support and said that they all behaved well during the election.
Mr. Awofisayo said: “Let us try to maintain peace and order today, July 16, 2022, during the gubernatorial election, when we will make our final decision.”
Also, an APC stalwart, Benjamin Adereti, said that since all the contestants are from APC, they have no choice but to work together.
Adereti said the accreditation and election were peaceful.
Furthermore, Wole Omotosho, who spoke on behalf of an APC faction, said that elections had come and gone and thanked God for allowing peace to reign.
Mr. Omotosho praised the citizens for keeping the peace during and after the elections.