Youths and Women members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State have accused Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and Caretaker Chairman of the APC, Prince Gboyega Famodun of committing electoral fraud ahead of tomorrow’s ward congress of the party.
The youths who staged a peaceful protest to the party secretariat on along Gbongan-Ibadan, Ogo-Oluwa, Osogbo, today alleged Oyetola and Famodun of hijacking the nomination forms brought by some national officials of the APC.
According to the group, the national officials who came to Osogbo have been camped since Saturday at a hotel under security surveillance and were barred from relating with any other members of the party in the state. Therefore disenfranchising thousands of Party Members and Aspirants from accessing forms in a free, fair and democratic manner.
The youths who came under the aegis of Progressive Youth Movement, called on the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) to intervene in the matter and ensure that there is free and fair ward congress in the state.
Speaking at the Secretariat, one of the leaders of the group, Mr Wale Alabi, said: “We are here to protest the electoral fraud being committed by Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and the APC Caretaker Chairman, Prince Gboyega Famodun. The two leaders of the party are clearly dividing APC in the State of Osun. This is not the type of Politics our fathers taught us, to have a Governor that we produced in full loyalty to our leadership, circumvent democracy is simply sacrilege.
“Our party at the national level sent committee members led by one Abdullahi down to Osun since last week Saturday to begin sales of form and preparation for the congress. But ever since they arrived, the committee members are nowhere to be found. They are not either at the State Party Secretariat or any other place carrying out their national duty.
“Thousands of our members have paid for the nomination forms to participate in the ward congress but were not given form. No distribution happened at the State Party Secretariat, rather we heard forms are being distributed in the Government House
“Only members of Governor Oyetola’s group, IleriOluwa were given form. This is a plan to manipulate the congress. The National Secretariat of our party should know this. They should remember, Aregbesola left the Legacy of a united and winning party, what are they leaving he said.”
Another leader of the group, Hon. Rasheed Ropo, condemned what he described as brazen balkanisation of the party by Governor Oyetola and Famodun, accusing them of intimidating and harassing members of the party who do not belong to their camp.
Ropo said the alleged hijacking of the nomination forms by the duo is an evidence of the politics of division and self destruction being played by both the Governor and the party chairman.
Addressing the youths, Caretaker Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the State of Osun, Hon. Rasaq Salinsile urged them to be calm and continue to be peaceful in their agitation.
Salinsile confirmed that the nomination forms brought to the state by some officials of the APC at the National Secretariat were hijacked by Oyetola and Famodun, saying that none of the official came to the party secretariat or relate with other party members..
He disclosed that the game plan was to disenfranchise some members of the party to give room for easy manipulation of the congress.
The APC secretary, however, said the members of the party who paid for the nomination forms were able to secure their forms from the National Secretariat eventually.
He urged members of the party to go out tomorrow and cast their vote for credible candidates in the ward congress.
