- Two Aspirants Lay Claim To Victory, Party Remains Silent
One person has been reported dead during the chaos that erupted at the Accord Party House of Representatives primary election for the Ayedire/Iwo/Ola-Oluwa Federal Constituency on Friday.
OSUN DEFENDER reports that the Accord party primary in the federal constituency turned rowdy with the camp of the anointed aspirant and current lawmaker representing the constituency, Hon. Lukman Mudasiru and another aspirant, Engr Ayodeji Bello, laying claim to victory.
In videos shared on social media, members of the Accord Party were seen in a free-for-all fight during the primary held at Iwoland Town Hall.
Following the primaries, the camp of Hon Mudasiru alleged that some political hoodlums loyal to Engr Bello attempted to disrupt the exercise.
The camp, however, insisted their primary was successfully concluded with Mudasiru emerging as the party’s flag bearer.
But a statement released from the camp of Engr. Ayodeji Bello announced its principal won the primary election.
The statement noted that out of the 10,402 accredited votes, Bello polled 7,177 votes while Hon. Lukman got 3,225 votes.
The statement also alleged that hoodlums loyal to the federal lawmaker disrupted the exercise, which led to chaos and injuries before security personnel intervened to restore order.
Meanwhile, one of the members who sustained injury during the incident, whose name was given as Mrs Simbiat from Gidigbo Ward 3 died on Saturday.
Confirming the incident, Engr Bello in a statement on Sunday, said, “Democracy should never come at the cost of human lives. Every citizen deserves to participate in the democratic process without fear, intimidation, or violence.”
He called on the Inspector-General of Police, the Commissioner of Police, and other security agencies to conduct a “thorough, impartial, and transparent investigation” into the tragedy.
“No one is above the law, regardless of status, position, or political affiliation. Justice must be served, not only for the deceased and her family but also to reinforce the principle that violence has no place in our democracy,” he stated.
Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER, a member of the Accord Party in Iwo, Rasaq Odeyemi, condemned the violence that marred the primary and blamed it on the desperation of party leaders to impose candidates.
“I was at the venue from the start. Everything was calm until thugs loyal to a particular aspirant started intimidating voters. That was when the trouble began,” he said.
Odeyemi argued that the party’s internal democracy is under threat if violence becomes the tool for selecting candidates.
“If party leaders can allow this level of violence during a primary, then we have a bigger problem than just one election. We are teaching our youths the wrong politics,” he lamented.
Odeyemi called on the Accord Party leadership to intervene quickly before the crisis deepens.
“The leaders of the party must not fold their arms. They need to set up an independent panel to investigate what really happened. Without that, the party will lose credibility in Osun West,” he stated.
Odeyemi prayed for the family of the deceased and called for justice, adding, “It is painful that a woman lost her life in a party activity. The family deserves justice, and those responsible must face the law. Democracy should never cost lives,” he said.
Mrs Kafayat Olatunji, a member of the party in Ayedire Local Government, accused supporters of the aspirants of turning the primary into a battlefield.
“We came ready to vote peacefully. But the moment loyalists of one aspirant felt they were losing, they brought out weapons. That is shameful for our party,” she said.
Olatunji described the scene as chaotic and frightening for the women who participated.
“Many of us were running for our lives. I saw people bleeding. No woman should go through that just to exercise her right as a delegate,” she recounted.
The leadership of the Accord Party in the state is yet to speak on the incident.
Efforts to get the reaction of the party chairman in Osun, Pasor Victor Akande, proved abortive as of the time of filing this report.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
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