Fear, Confusion Over Osun APC Gov’ship Primary

 

Ismaeel Uthman

THERE is confussion over the modalities for the conduct of the governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State of Osun.

The primary is scheduled to hold tomorrow, Saturday, February 19. 

But the National Secretariat has not announced the committee that will conduct the primary as at the time (6:05pm) of filing this report yesterday. 

The modalities for the conduct of the election is yet to be officially known few hours to the exercise. 

Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Lasun Yussuff and former Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti are to participate in the primary election.

Members of the party have continued to scout for information on the method to be used for the primary. 

This is just as some residents of the state and members of the APC were nursing fear over possible violence that may greet the conduct of the primary. 

According to the concerned residents and party members, it was obvious that the two factions of IleriOluwa and The Osun Progressives (TOP) would slug it out with each other in the primary.

They assumed that going by the violence and series of political attacks happening in the state, the primary election might be bloody.

They called on security agents in the state to be on red alert to forestall breakdown of law and order. 

Speaking on the primary election, the Publicity Secretary of the APC, Comrade Abiodun Agboola, said there was no sign of readiness on the party for the conduct of the primary election. 

Agboola who belong to the Salinsile-led faction of the APC, in an interview with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, said: “I think the primary is gradually becoming a confusion. If care is not taken, it is going to be classified as a caricature.

“If the primary is coming up on Saturday, just like it is being speculated, I want to let you understand that as of now, no arrangement has been made for it. There is no solid arrangement. Up till now, the committee that supposed to organise this primary is not yet in place and the primary is coming up in less than 48 hours. So, we are gradually moving into a state of confusion. 

“We had raised it in our petition and we said it initially that this primary was fixed for March 5 but for some reasons best known to the Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, which Governor Oyetola is a member, they decided to bring it forward to February 19.

“You can see why there is no arrangement; because that was not the date the primary was supposed to take place. It supposed to be March 5. So, everything is hurriedly put together, for what? 

“We are going into primary election less than 48 hours and we do not even know if it is going to be direct or indirect, for God sake. 

“Even if the primary is direct, as I speak today, we don’t have access to the party’s register. The party register is being kept in the government house. We have raised this and we have shouted in the past, up till now, they have not released it. And that is the same party register they intend to use for Saturday primary election, if at all it is going to take place.

“The state of unpreparedness is real and it is better that the CECPC should take a critical look to our complaints. This primary should be re-fixed to the initial date of March 5.”