The Danger Of Sponsoring Thugs To Win Osun 2022 Elections

BY INWALOMHE DONALD

The illegal action of sponsoring thugs to win party congresses in Osun is a recipe for violence. Governor Oyetola is inducing violence in Osun APC by orchestrating thugs attack and manipulated the state APC congresses. The use of thugs in Osun APC by Governor Oyetola to conduct ward, local government and state congresses clearly shows the level of bad governance in Osun State. The illegality and the danger of sponsoring thugs to win Osun 2022 election poses a great threat to 2023 election in Nigeria. Every democratic system has to regulate the flow of money and use of thugs for political gains. Illegal thugs funding for Osun 2022 election presents certain problems to future elections in modern liberal and the emerging democracy in Nigeria. Sponsoring of thugs in Osun State fails to guarantee fairness and equality in the competition among candidates and political parties. The outcome of Osun 2022 election may not reflect the interest of the majority in Osun State, but the interest of the financier of the thugs.

This will necessitate reactions in the form of violence, which characterized Nigerian political system in the post general election, postelection litigation, and postelection violence. It is important for me to emphasize that many democratic governments to continually strive toward reducing thugs and money in politics. The danger ahead of Osun 2022 election is that Governor Oyetola used thugs to conduct APC state congress and he is set to use thugs against other political parties that will participate in the Osun 2022 election. Governor Oyetola is now a threat to members of Osun APC and a threat to Nigeria’s 2023 elections because he is not committed to free and fair election.

I want to urge Governor Oyetola to concentrate on winning elections by the performance of his party and not by relying on thugs and violence for electoral victory. Good governance remains the surest path towards winning elections especially when you are committed to free and fair and credible elections devoid of the kind of violence witnessed in Osun State today. So instead of trying to pacify by violent and lawlessness just because Oyetola wants to win election, Oyetola should support the stellar performance being displayed by former Governor Aregbesola in Osun State, that way, he will not need the services of his thugs to win Osun 2022 election.

Governor Oyetola has been sending thugs to attack members of Osun APC since 2021 so as to disrupt members of Osun APC meetings and prevent them from getting justice. Governor Oyetola is so sad that he will not be able to win Osun 2022 governorship election because of his bad governance. If Oyetola can rely on thugs to win APC PRIMARY, I wonder what will happen to Oyetola during July election. We are now seeing desperation and frustration in the behaviour of Governor Oyetola.

The attack on the Oranmiyan House, the political edifice of the immediate past governor and current Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola will not help Governor Oyetola to win Osun 2022 election. Osun state governor, Adegboyega Oyetola and some leaders of the faction supported by the governor are sponsoring attacks against Aregbesola’s supporters. Governor Oyetola is pursuing victory without peace in Osun State because he lacks the experience of a leader and he is still behaving as if he is still working in an insurance company. These attacks are sponsored by the state government through the campaign structure of the governor, known as Ilerioluwa.

The hoodlums that attacking members of Osun APC were identified for the police in the state, but they were yet to make any arrest. I want to call on the Inspector-General of Police Usman Alkali Baba to act swiftly on these attacks.
Thugs working for Governor Oyetola have denied members of Osun APC from conducting ward congress and state congress in 2021. Thugs seized their voting credentials and beat them up to produce Famodun as state chairman. The inability to conduct a free and fair state congress in Osun is a reflection of what Governor Oyetola stood for in Osun. The 2,517 aggrieved members of Osun APC have gone to court. It is not Aregbesola’s camp that has gone to court. They are card-carrying members of Osun APC. They are pursuing their rights. I want to correct the wrong impression about labelling aggrieved members as Aregbesola’s camp. Aggrieved members have the rights to go to court. The implication of 2,517 aggrieved members of APC court suit is that Governor Oyetola has lost his popularity and now relies on thugs to conduct ordinary party congress in Osun State. Thugs cannot save Governor Oyetola from defeat in Osun 2022 election. I want to warn that 2,517 aggrieved members should not be reduced to Aregbesola’s name.

Aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State that dragged the leadership of the party to court to challenge the outcome of the last state congress in the state will go to court of appeal to challenge the judgment. A total of 2,517 aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 26 local governments of the State of Osun have approached a Federal High Court, sitting in Osogbo, the state capital, to challenge the Ward Congress of the party, held on July 31, 2021 in the state. They are being victimised by political operatives in Osun loyal to Oyetola.

Governor Oyetola failed when he refused to submit Aregbesola’s name for ministerial appointment but he was disappointed when Aregbesola was appointed as minister. Governor Oyetola failed when he used thugs to conduct Osun APC ward congress and now he is confused whether to revoke the certificate of occupancy of Oraminyan House in Osogbo. Governor Oyetola has resorted to the use of arrest and judicial harassment of political opponents since he is no longer popular in Osun. In March 2021 Olateju Adunni, the Personal Assistant to Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola was attacked by some hired thugs.

The popular Oranmiyan House belonging to the Honourable Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Arégbésolá has constantly come under attack because it the venue of the weekly stakeholders meeting of The Osun Progressives (TOP) .

Bystanders who watched the siege from a far how thugs armed with guns and other dangerous weapon unleashed terror on Oranmiyan House couldn’t hold their tears as information has it that the floor targeted by the gun men was proposed to house TOP hierarchies meeting which was billed to hold immediately after the Thursday general meeting. Armed political hoodlums have been sponsored by Governor Adegboyega Oyetola-led IleriOluwa faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC), are currently attacking Oranmiyan House in Osogbo.

Inwalomhe Donald writes from Osogbo, Osun State

DISCLAIMER: This article is the sole opinion of the writer and does not represent the Editorial Opinion of OSUN DEFENDER and its management.