Osun 2014: Aregbesola deserves second term —Osun traditional rulersl

 As the re-election campaign team of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, moved to Boluwaduro Local Government Area, the Onirun of Oke Irun and Oniresi of Iresi, Oba Isaac Adetunlerese and Oba Sikiru Adeseun, had declared that the state governor’s performance in all sectors was tremendous.

The traditional rulers said with the policies and projects implemented by  Aregbesola, who is  the  standard bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in August 9 governorship poll, which were equally distributed in all geopolitical zones, “he deserved a second term in office”.

Receiving the re-election campaign of Aregbesola led by the state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Sunday Akere ,in his palace, Oba Adetunlerese, said “the governor has not only done credibly well, but he has also been fair to all sections across the state, even in policy implementation”.

According to him, “the governor has judiciously utilised the Osun’s  resources to provide equitable infrastructure to the people as envisioned by the founding fathers”, saying that “his administration is the first to initiate developmental projects that launch the state to lime light”.

“Aregbesola is a divine messenger to the people of the state and Nigeria as a whole, what we can do as a people is to support him to succeed which would benefit Nigeria as a whole”, the traditional rulers said.

While addressing the residents of the communities, the leader of the campaign team,  Akere said “Governor Aregbesola, has shown the people of the state through his six-point integral action plan in his first term of office by rescucitating all the moribund sectors”.

The commissioner, who disclosed to the people of Iresi, Oju-Eri communities that the state government had approve the construction of the road linking Ajaba, Ajebamidele to Ikoro in Ekiti state, sought the understanding of the residents in the area in curbing the menace of card swapping for cash.

Akere posited that “Aregbesola would increase his administration’s offer of assistance to farmers as a means of enhancing the state economy, intensify education policy to further make education accessible to more children, build more primary healthcare centers in rural areas to increase access to health services”.

Civil society groups advise candidates, stakeholders on electoral laws

Ahead of August 9 governorship poll in Osun State, a coalition of civil society Groups has tasked candidates and leaders of political parties, participating in the exercise to adhere strictly to electoral laws in ensuring the success of the election.

Addressing a press conference in Osogbo, capital of Osun State ,on Friday, the coordinator of the coalition, Dr Nwambu Gabriel ,said it was imperative for all governorship candidates, supporters, leaders and all stakeholders in the poll to play according to the rules.

He also admonished the youth not to allow themselves to be used as thugs by desperate politicians, who may want to perpetrate electoral fraud or malpractices, capable of marring the exercise.

According to Nwambu, “in the world over, it is necessary to ensure that elections comply with international best practice and globally accepted standard, hence, the essence of accrediting reputable civil society organisations to observe any election is to access the degree of compliance of the electoral body, political parties as well  as their supporters to the relevant electoral laws as provided by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

“We extend a word of caution to all candidates and politicians to tame as much as possible their own conduct and that of their supporters in other to play politics by the fundamental electoral laws as politics  is not a do- or- die affair”, he emphasised.

While disclosing that members of the coalition of civil societies had visited 19 local government councils to ascertain the readiness of the Osun people for the election, Nwambu contended that “youths of the state are reminded not to allow themselves to be used as instruments to perpetrate electoral -related violence and be law abiding citizens of Nigeria as the political ambition of no politician is worth their blood”.

He, however, commended the chairman of  the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, federal commissioners and the newly redeployed Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), in Osun Mr Olusegun Agbaje, for “a focused preparation en route free, fair and credible elections in the state”?

Akinwusi meets CAN leaders, promises to build ‘mega citizens’

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate in the August 9 poll in Osun State, Mr Olusegun Akinwusi, at the weekend, met with state leaders of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) across the state’s 30 local governments in Osogbo, highlighting his programmes if elected as the governor of the state.

Akinwusi, a former Head of Service (HOS), in the state, at an interactive session with the religion leaders which had in attendance the state CAN chairman, Reverend Elisha Ogundiya and other executive members, explained that SDP manifesto was based on welfarist agenda with focus on development of the people.

According to him, “the idea of mega-city is now giving way to development of mega-citizens and we are going to focus on people. We want to ensure that within nine months of our administration, we restore the state economic base and put smile on the faces of the citizenry.

“If N5 billion is getting to Osun State and the money is spent at the four walls of the state, we will see a great difference. We are wallowing in poverty now because of the current capital flight. If you pay N5 into the state coffer now, it first lands in Lagos”, Akinwusi asserted.

While assuring  that public schools would be returned to their owners if they requested for them, he further hinted that if elected, there would be some “policy reversal” in the state education system, just as he promised that the National Inter-Religious Committee (NIREC), would be strengthened and properly funded to perform its statutory roles as expected.

Akinwusi, however, explained that his government would not abandoned any project left behind by his predecessor, stressing that rather “we will review all contracts properly to justify that our money is being spent in the right direction”.

In his remark, Rev. Ogundiya  that it was parts of CAN’s responsibilities to hear from all candidates canvassing for votes in the forthcoming polls, saying the religion body will ensure that information given by them would be passed across to the larger community.

Remain focused, Mu’azu advises Omisore

THE National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, has advised the candidate of the party in the August 9   governorship election in Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore and his supporters not to be distracted by the antics of the opposition but to remain focused on winning the election. 

He observed in Abuja, on Sunday, that rather than seek the support of the people on ground, the opposition is busy campaigning in the media.

In a statement issued on his behalf by his Special Assistant  on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Akin Oyegoke, the party boss said that PDP is working hard and taking its campaign to all the nooks and crannies of Osun State.

He observed that the positive response of the people of the state to the PDP is giving the opposition sleepless nights against the background of the popularity and acceptance of Omisore by the people of Osun State. 

Muazu, therefore, commended the people for support so far showed to the PDP and encouraged them to vote massively for the party at the election. 

Meanwhile, with less than 34 days to the conduct of August 9, governorship poll in Osun State, the flag bearer of the PDP in the state, has warned residents against selling their voter cards to some desperate politicians.

He said there was the need by all eligible voters to shun monetary inducements from some disgruntled politicians, who he said, were hell bent in subverting the will of the people in the forthcoming election.

In a press statement issued by Omisore’s director of media and strategy, Prince Diran Odeyemi on Sunday in Osogbo, the PDP standard bearer said.

“Said there are reports that some mischievous leaders of a politicollate collecting voters cards from innocent people, by luring them to fill forms with their thumbprints”.

Describing such development as fraudulent and anti-democratic moves, Omisore contended that “Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), should be treated with confidentiality and any attempt to deceive you into releasing it in exchange for any amount of money should be ignored.”

While calling on the electorate to be unshaken in their resolve to vote out the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration, he assured that his government, if elected into power on August 9, would do everything humanly possible to rescue Osun from the grip of poverty, social and economic challenges, confronting the citizenry.

INEC delaying release of Permanent Voter Cards in our strongholds —APC •APC’s claim on permanent voter cards strange —INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is delaying the release of Permanent Voter Cards which is sine qua non to voters’ participation in the forthcoming Osun governorship election, the All Progressives Congress (APC), alleged on Sunday.

The delay, according to the ruling party in the state, is allegedly more pronounced in the party’s strongholds in the state, particularly, Osun Central Senatorial District.

The claims were part of issues raised over the pre-election preparation by the electoral body in a statement by the party’s spokesperson, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

The party insinuated that the alleged delay ahead of the governorship election, might be a ploy to disenfranchise voters.

“INEC has been painfully slow in processing the Permanent Voter Cards, and one can only hope that the electoral body is not doing this deliberately to disenfranchise voters, especially in opposition strongholds.

“The slow processing of the Permanent Voter Cards has in particular, hit the Central Senatorial District of the state, and has affected those who had earlier registered as well as those who registered this year,’’ it said.

APC said INEC had continued to tell those who thronged its offices in the state to collect their Permanent Voter Cards that the cards were not ready, without giving an indication of when they would be ready for collection.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of INEC ,Professor Attahiru Jega, on Sunday, said that the claim by the APC that the commission was delaying the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards to the electorate at its stronghold in Osun State ahead of the August 9 governorship election in the state, was confusing.

Jega who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune in Abuja, through his Chief Press Secretary, CPS,Mr Kayode Idowu while reacting to the claim by APC,”honestly, we can’t understand what APC means we did the distribution in Osun State since March this year simultaneously with that of Ekiti State”.

According to him,”at the close of the exercise,we directed those who were yet to get their own cards to proceed to local government offices of the commission for collection,it is a continuous exercise, those who are yet to collect are to go and do”.

‘’If INEC has no diabolical plan, then, it should speed up the processing of the Permanent Voters Cards. We say this based on the reported announcement by the REC in Osun State that whoever does not possess a Permanent voters card will not be allowed to vote in the August 9 election,’’ the party said.

It urged INEC to maintain its neutrality during the forthcoming election, and to ensure it did not do anything that could affect the credibility of the commission or the integrity of the election.

APC recalled that a few days before the Ekiti governorship election, on June 19, 2014, the INEC chairman Attahiru Jega, had told stakeholders that the commission would use colour-code ballot papers to ensure that ballots meant for one local government are not taken to another.

‘’However, not only did INEC not use colour-coded ballot papers in the Ekiti election, it never felt the need to explain its sudden volte-face. This is a blow to the integrity of INEC and we hope it won’t be repeated,’’ the party said.

The party also alleged a multi-pronged strategy by the federal authorities to skew the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Osun State favour of the PDP, just like they allegedly did in Ekiti State last month.

The party said the alleged dubious strategy by the federal authorities involved using the military and other security agencies to lock down the state days ahead of voting as well as an ongoing starving of the state of funds so it cannot meet its obligations.

‘’Whereas Ekiti was locked down about three days to the election in the state, indications are that Osun will be locked down at least a week before the state’s poll, while the security agencies will again be used to harass, intimidate and arrest opposition politicians just like they did with impunity in Ekiti.

‘’We are raising the alarm now so the world can see that any election can only be described as free and fair if the entire process is transparent and not skewed in favour of any of the parties. We insist that election is a process, and that whatever happens on election day is only but a part of the whole.

‘’Therefore, we demand a level playing field for all the candidates before, during and after the Osun election. We reject any plan to use of the military and other security agencies to lock down the state and to harass, intimidate and arrest opposition members. We call on local and international observers to take note of these and other anomalies ahead of the Osun poll,’’ it said.