Osun APC Primaries, A Charade – Aspirant
bY JOSHUA DADA, Osogbo and YUSUF BABALOLA, Lagos
Aspirants in the just concluded State and National Assemblies primary elections in Osun State have described the exercise as a mere charade.
They have therefore called on the national chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu to use his office to correct what they described as act of impunity and rape of democracy by Governor Gboyega Oyetola before it is too late.
This is as the House of Representatives’ aspirants who also participated in the just concluded All Progressives Congress (APC), primaries in Osun State, have petitioned the party’s appeal panel over what they described as intimidation and injustice at Ife Federal Constituency.
The petition, which was addressed to the chairman, APC appeal panel, was jointly signed by the aggrieved six aspirants and made available to journalists in Ile Ife.
The petitioners include Dr. Samuel Ibiyemi, Hon. Rotimi Makinde, Barr Adeyemi Adetise, Engr Marcus Adedini, Hon Elugbaju Olayera and Hon Nike Omoworare.
Addressing a press conference jointly addressed by 12 aspirants of APC who belong to The Osun Progressives (TOP) caucus said to be loyalists of the Interior Minister, Rauf Aregbesola further described the exercise as a rape of democracy.
Speaking on their behalf, a two-term House of Assembly member for Olorunda State Constituency Hon Waseeu Gbola Adebayo explained that the aspirants obtained expression of interest and nomination forms to contest for House of Assembly and House of Representatives in their various state constituencies and federal constituencies in the state, participated in the screening conducted by the party and were cleared to take part in the primary elections.
He said, “The committee saddled with the responsibilities of conducting the election was not known to anybody, especially we the aspirants in our tendency. We considered that act as a deliberate way of tactically excluding us from the race.
“Apart from the fact that we did not see any committee from the National Secretariat, nobody called to inform us about the modalities for the election.’’
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