Ahead the conduct of the August 9, governorship poll in Osun, fully armed operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS), numbering about 900, on Tuesday and Wednesday, stormed Osogbo, the state capital.
A source authoritatively gathered that the deployment of the DSS officials, including young ladies, was part of the security measures aimed at ensuring a hitch-free conduct of the election. They were armed to the teeth.
Sighted were some of the DSS operatives in Toyota Hiace buses and Toyota Hilux vans, on Tuesday, driving round Osogbo, the state capital.
They are likely to drive round other major towns in the state in the next couple of days, according to a source in Abuja.
Similarly, on Wednesday some of them also arrived the state capital, converging on the frontage of their headquarters in the state, situated along Gbongan-Ibadan expressway.
A source, who craved anonymity stated that “this is part of the preparation to ensure efficient security of lives and property before, during and after the conduct of the crucial election”.
“No stone would be left unturned to protect the electorate, including the generality of the people of Osun State, irrespective of political groupings, ethnic and religious colorations. The DSS officials you see would work in collaboration with other security agencies in ensuring a peaceful and violent-free election on August 9,” he also stated.
Under-supply of electoral materials: APC’s allegation, baseless —INEC
With less than 10 days to the conduct of August 9 governorship election in Osun, the authorities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in the state, on Wednesday ,described as a ruse and baseless allegation that it was planning to under supply electoral materials to some selected communities.
In a press statement issued by the Chief Public Affairs Officer (CPAO) of INEC in Osun, Mrs F. Adenike Tadese, the umpire stated such allegation was not only misleading, but also laughable, considering the unshaken commitment of the electoral umpire to conduct a free and fair and most acceptable governorship poll in the state.
Apparently reacting to the recent allegation by the All Progressives Congress (APC) ,that INEC had concluded plans to under supply designated communities where the party has stronghold, including Ilesa, the country home of its candidate, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, the statement stressed that “INEC wishes to assure the good people of the state that the commission will not disenfranchise eligible voters irrespective of political affiliations from exercising their franchise on August 9”.
It reads in part, “this has become imperative to clear the allegation of misinformation currently in circulation to under supply electoral materials to some areas during the election”.
“INEC wishes to reiterate that adequate and sufficient provisions have been put in place in terms of deployment of electoral materials to cover all the 3,010 polling units on the election day.”
While assuring that the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ,was an ongoing exercise, the statement added that “those who are yet to collect their PVCs should avail themselves the opportunity of collecting it at INEC offices”, disclosing that “deadline for collection is August 4, 2014”.
Oralusi takes campaign to Ede, promises responsive governance
Against the conduct of August 9 governorship election, in Osun State, the flag bearer of the Action Alliance (AA), Babatunde Oralusi, has taken his electioneering campaign to Ede South Local Government Area of the state, assuring the electorate of his commitment to bring about good and responsive governance if elected.
Addressing a crowd of supporters and party members, the AA standard bearer tasked all eligible voters to troop out and vote massively for his party, pointing out that all hands must be on deck to salvage the future of Osun State.
The leader of the AA, in Ede district, Olu Ige, who led the campaign team, emphasised the determination of the party to win the forthcoming govenorship election in Osun State.
Describing the party as the formidable third force with an attestable grassroots presence and an unbreakable will to win, he lauded the sterling qualities of the party’s candidate, whom he described as a young and dynamic, well-groomed and successful man with a lot of experience in the public and private sector.
While assuring the people that the party’s candidate is a man of the people with a lot passion for the less-priviledge and vulnerable members of the society, he commended the people for coming out willingly and in large number to cheer the campaign train.
As stated by him, “one of the ways by which AA differs from other political parties is that it does not rent crowd nor engage in movement of people from campaign ground to campaign ground to create large but artificial crowd”.
Falae urges electorate to vote for Akinwusi
The national chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Chief Olu Falae, on Wednesday, implored eligible voters in Osun to vote massively for his party’s candidate in the August 9 governorship poll, Olusegun Akinwusi, saying such electoral choice would create leeway for integrity and transparency in governance.
Falae, who made the appeal in a message to members of the SDP in the state, stated that Akinwusi possess required experience and wealth of knowledge on how to bring about responsive and people-oriented government, which would address social and economic challenges, confronting the citizenry.
The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), affirmed that “our candidate is a distinguished retired public officer. He is a complete gentleman and I am certain that he is the perfect person Osun State needs at this time. So, I strongly called on Osun people to massively vote for him”.
Falae continued, “he is not just bringing integrity into governance; he has served the state as Head of Service and come out with clean hands. He was an honest public officer, who knows what to do. Osun people will do themselves a great honour to support and vote for him as a technocrat”.
While lamenting that the forthcoming governorship poll in the state was being subjected to grave and uncontrolled money politics, the Afenifere chieftain recalled that that “monetisation of politics was not pronounced at all during the 1999 general elections when I stood as a presidential candidate of the coalition of the defunct All Peoples Party (APP) and the Alliance for Democracy (AD)”.
As stated by Falae, “it is regrettable that due to high level of poverty in the land, parties that control funds at state and federal levels buy election all over Nigeria”.
He, however, commended the SDP members in the state for their steadfastness and by proofing that politics is not only about money or mere pecuniary gains but about good governance and welfare of the people.
“Despite what we see in politics today, in SDP we stand for social democracy with zero tolerance for corruption, stealing and bribery,” Falae asserted, just as he bemoaned the high level of corruption in the nation’s polity, stressing that “dishonest individuals without leniency for the masses are at the helms of affairs in Nigeria”.
Meanwhile, campaign teams of SDP continued their mobilisation on Wednesday by canvassing for votes in Olaoluwa and Ayedire Local Governments in Osun West and Ila and Boluwaduro Local Governments in Osun Central Senatorial District.
Don’t panic over soldiers —Osun govt
The Osun State government, on Wednesday, adv ised residents not to be scared of large numbers of security personnel deployed to the state for the August 9 governorship election.
Mr Bola Ilori, the Special Adviser on Environment and Sanitation to Governor Rauf Aregbesola, gave the advice while addressing journalists in Osogbo.
The News Agency of Nigeria , reported that the All Progressives Congress (APC), had opposed the deployment of soldiers for the election.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supported the deployment of security men, including soldiers, to ensure violence free polls.
Ilori stated Governor Aregbesola, was not contesting the deployment of security men to the state since they were to protect lives and property.
"The opposition to the use of the military is not only in the interest of the political class, but the future of the country’s democracy."
"The military is already de-politicised, why are we bringing the institution into political affairs again?"
"What we are now concerned with is that the security officials on election duty should not be used by a particular political party to the detriment of others."
"Security men should not arrest people indiscriminately," he emphasised.
Omisore will give priority to Obokun, Oriade communities —Group
Members of Ijesa North Leaders of Thought, a group of political and community leaders in Oriade and Obokun Local Government areas of Osun State, on Wednesday ,assured the people in the localities that their “interests would be better served and protected, if the flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Iyiola Omisore, wins the August 9 governorship election”.
In a communique issued at the end of a meeting of the body held in Ilase, a town in Obokun Local Government Area, where issues affecting people of the communities in the constituency were discussed, the leaders of the group underscored the need for the people to vote massively for PDP.
Reading the communique after the deliberations that also had in attendance religious leaders from all the towns in the federal constituency, Basorun Tayo Omojowogbe, said “the main reason for the meeting was to take a critical look at political and economic trend in the state with a view to forge a positive direction for our people”.
He contended that “the development our two local government areas in the constituency witnessed while it had member of House of Representatives, commissioner and board members, who served the PDP, were unprecedented” declaring that the people of the area were absolutely ready to repay the party now.
“The people had better story to tell under PDP and they have mandated us as their leaders to pledge their loyalty for the aspirations of Senator Omisore, who was instrumental to the success story of our people under PDP reign through many interventions,” Omojowogbe asserted.
He continued, “to ensure we are carrying out the mandate of our people, that is why this group, formed several years ago to forge common front where economic and political interest of our people will be best protected, met today and decided to give bulk votes to PDP with the believe that the party will repay us when it forms government in November this year by God’s grace”.
In his remark, the host of the meeting, Chief Francis Fadahunsi, lauded the group for being at “the vanguard of communal interest and wellbeing of their people”, adding that “specific needs of some communities in the area have been identified during the group’s tour”.
He, therefore, assured that the group would work towards tirelessly in getting more communities connected to the national grid, saying that “members have resolved to shared the communities without electricity among themselves and get them electrified to make life more bearable for the people and discourage rural-urban migration”.