As the ruling All Progressives Congress held her governorship primaries in Osun State today (Friday), aspirants, observers and party faithfuls across the state have condemn the exercise as it was marred by violence, late arrival of materials and money inducement.
The exercise which has been postponed twice has been was alleged to be skewed in favour of an aspirant as four aspirants including the incumbent Secretary to the State government, Alhaji Moshood Olalekan Adeoti backed out today and the Chairman of the primaries, Governor Abdulaziz Yari also resigned earlier this morning.
In some of the wards monitored by our correspondents, there were obvious irregularities and violence among the supporters of the aspirants.
At Olobu ward 5, Irepodun LGA, party members who trooped out en mass had to wait for several hours before the arrival of voting materials and it took the intervention of the chairman, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege before the voting could be done.
It was a mild drama at Ward 4, Irepodun LGA as some hoodlums hijacked the materials and ran away with them.
The Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, Rt Hon Lasun Yussuff, who is one of the contenders for the party’s ticket was among those who intercepted the hoodlums to recover the materials at the entrance of the council secretariat.
In Osogbo, some of the wards had delay in the arrival of the voting materials while violence erupted in some.
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.
Each of the supporters were given N2,000 while policemen and civil defence corps were present.
At Salvation Army School, Alekuwodo, ward 5, Osogbo, voters were stranded waiting for electoral register till they left in the afternoon.
This was also the case at Government middle school, Isale-Osun as voters also waited till 2pm without materials.
Speaking with newsmen, one of the aspirants, Bar. Kunle Rasheed Adegoke K-Rad, said only one register was brought out of the 10 polling units in his ward at Ward 3, Olorunda Local Government, Osogbo.
He said no voting material was brought to ward 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.
Also at Ilesha, voters were received between 2,000 to 4,000 from the supporters of some aspirants after casting their votes.
Another aspirant, Dr Ezekiel Oyemomi said he would love to communicate his observations to the party as a matter of loyalty.
When probed further about what will be his reaction towards the result, provided it is not favourable, Oyemomi said he will not challenge it in court but will express his dissatisfactions to the party hierarchy “since the matter remains an intra-party affairs”.
In his short response, the Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr Wole Oladimeji said his principal will speak on the outcome of the election when the time is right but said his own personal observation of the exercise revealed irregularities.
