BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
The Alhaji Rasaq Salinsile led faction of the All Progressives Congress in Osun State on Monday announced its resolve to approach the Appeal Committee of the party over alleged irregularities in the recently conducted primary election of the party.
The faction, loyal to the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, rejected the result of last Saturday’s governorship primary election and insisted that the exercise was rigged in favour of the winner, Governor Gboyega Oyetola.
Oyetola had recorded a landslide victory to emerge the party’s candidate ahead of the July 16 governorship election against a former Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti who enjoys the backing of Aregbesola.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting held at Oranmiyan House, Osogbo, on Monday, Salinsile noted that the primary was a charade, ruse and sham.
He stated that the primary election was fraught with fraud and manipulation.
A statement signed by Abiodun Agboola, the factional Publicity Secretary, quoted Salinsile as saying that: “We put it on record the fact that there were so many anomalies, all of which incidentally, we have made known before Saturday’s event.
“We put on record that as at the day of election, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, our governorship aspirant, was not allowed to have access to the membership register by which the exercise took place.
“By this, he was denied knowledge of how many members the party had as at the day of the election which is contrary to morality and the law.
“We put on record the fact that many people were disenfranchised, as APC members who trooped to the election centres with their membership slips, could not find their names on the register.
“Contrary to the guidelines, accreditation did not take place in many election centres while result sheets were unavailable.
“The appointees of Governor Gboyega Oyetola were the appointed electoral officers and supervisors of the exercise.
“We note that there were over voting in some areas while the much talked about presence of Independent National Electoral Commission INEC was far-fetched.
“Many members who were not part of Governor Oyetola’s IleriOluwa group were chased away from the election centres by thugs and hoodlums hired by government agents.
“Prior to the Saturday’s high level display of impunity called election, we have had to call on Governor Oyetola to resign from membership of the National Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (NCECPC) as it runs against morality and the law.
“That position was used by Governor Oyetola to get so many things manipulated in the process leading to conduct of the primary, including the furtive change of date of the exercise.
“We are therefore convinced that justice has not been served and therefore rejects the result and will be approaching the Appeal Committee to be set up by the National Secretariat.”
