Adeleke defies AGF, police in Osun local govt poll

• Apathy as Oyinlola, PDP chieftains mobilise

• Lockdown took place, not election – APM

• It is a charade – APC

From Lateef Dada, Osogbo

Osun State Local Government election was held on Saturday despite the advice of the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, and the Nigeria Police Force to shelve the election.

A low turnout was observed in some polling units, while voting did not take place in some polling units visited by our correspondent.

Governor Ademola Adeleke voted at his polling unit in Sagba/Abounded Ward 2, Unit 9, Ede, in the Saturday local government election.

He commended the exercise, which he described as peaceful, and urged residents to troop out for the election.

Speaking with journalists after voting, Adeleke said, “The process has been very peaceful. I made a broadcast that this election should be peaceful and that there should be no violence. The state is a very peaceful state and it should stay like that.

“I am charging my people to come out peacefully and vote and go back peacefully too. There should be no problem and should not give them chance to say there is violence anywhere. Like I say everything is going on well,” Adeleke said.

Former governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola also voted at his hometown in Okuku, Odo-Otin Local Government of the state.

One person was reportedly killed at Iyemogun along Wesley Guild Hospital in Ilesa East Local Government Area. The reason for the killing was not ascertained.

Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon Wale Egbedun, voted at Ward 9, Unit 5, in Asi, Odo Otin Local Government.

A member of the House of Representatives, Hon Bamidele Salam, voted at Ward 1, Unit 1, Awo, Egbedore Local Government, while the Deputy Governor and the chairman of the governing council, Osun State University, Prof Wale Ladipo, voted at Ilode Ward 1, Unit 001, Ile-Ife.

Voting took place in Ward 5, Unit 12, Iwo Local Government; Ward 4, Unit 1, Iragbiji, Boripe Local Government.

TheSun.ng observed that major roads were deserted as residents stayed indoors.

Policemen mounted barricades on major streets, checking vehicles, while shops and markets were firmly closed.

Some usual polling units visited in Osogbo, Irewole, and Boluwaduro were also deserted as no official of the independent electoral commission nor police were present.

The OSSIEC chairman, Hashim Abioye, alleged that officials of the commission were arrested in some local governments.

In a video released to the public, Abioye said, “the reports have been positive and the conduct has been very smooth and peaceful, as against the false alarm raised by the Police.

“Every where is calm, the only thing is some of the areas where materials supposed to have arrived for voters to cast their vote, we have report of police arresting our officials. I don’t know on whose order the arrest of our officials.

“For the People in the media community, I want to apologize for inadequacy in the tags and jacket, because we have enough. I can assure you, but Police sealed off our office and that was unwarranted at all. All these we will sort out at the end of the day. Generally, the exercise has been very peaceful, free and fair and we thank God for that,” Abioye said.

The Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Teslim Igbalaye, also alleged that some electoral officials were arrested by policemen and detained at the police headquarters.

Meanwhile, the state Chairman of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Hon Adewale Adebayo, has described the Saturday local government election as a “mere lockdown.”

According to him, an election only took place at Ede, the hometown of Governor Ademola Adeleke; he insisted that other areas experienced a lockdown.

Adebayo, who stated that the insistence of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) to go ahead with the election despite warnings by stakeholders and the court was to justify spending the money that had been allocated for the poll, described the action as fraud.

He said, “What we experience in Osun State today (Saturday) is not election but lockdown because people refuse to participate in the illegal poll except Ede town where only few members of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) voted in some polling units of top political appointees of the governor.

“Our party is vindicated with this exercise of our earlier apprehension that OSSIEC can never conduct any meaningful election since its chairman, Hashim Abioye is a card-carrying member of PDP and serves Adeleke as Special Adviser Legal matters and served as PDP caretaker Secretary.

“Osun State Government through OSSIEC only wasted billions of Naira on shadow election. Our members in Irewole, Isokan, Boripe, Ifelodun, Olorunda, Egbedore, Irepodun and Orolu amongst other places confirmed that elections were not held,” Adebayo said.

But the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, insisted that OSSIEC held a council election. He said, “there was massive turnout of voters. I voted in Osogbo Ward 7, Unit 7, the turnout was massive. I believe that people have confidence in OSSIEC and Osun State Government.”

Speaking on behalf of the state chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Tajudeen Lawal, a chieftain of the party, Jamiu Olawumi, described the exercise as a charade.

Olawumi said the state is sliding into the Stone Age when we are in the computer age, adding that the Chairman of OSSIEC, being a PDP card-carrying member, cannot do better than what he did.

“What they did in Ife-Central local government is not an election. Some people were thumb printing ballot papers for the electorates ditto for Egbedore where a school principal and a PDP member were carrying ballot box from one polling unit to another to stuck ballot papers into it. This is nothing but a charade and we are resolute in our decision in line with the Appeal Court judgement that there is no vacancy in the 30 local government council areas of the state,” Olawumi said.