15 Candidates

The candidates, who took part in yesterday’s exercise, besides Oyetola and Adeleke, include a former Adeleke of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Lasun, of the Labour Party; Dr Oyegoke Omigbodun of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, and Dr Akin Ogunbiyi of the Accord Party.

Others are Munirudeen Atanda of the Action Democratic Party, ADP; Lukman Awoyemi of Allied Peoples’ Movement , APM, and Busuyi Ayowole of Peoples Redemption Party, PRP.

Controversy

While the PDP chapter in Osun State claimed victory in the governorship race as results poured in Saturday night, claiming that collated results from the voting units proved PDP’s emerging triumph at the poll, the ruling APC warned that the claim was capable of setting the state on fire.

A statement issued by the Caretaker Chairman of the PDP in the state, Dr Akindele Adekunle, said that “the party has secured majority as well as more than two third spread across the 30 local governments and area office”.
Adekunle noted that “the victory of the party at the poll is a product of mass mobilisation and grand coalition of people of Osun State against bad governance and insensitive leadership”.

He thanked the “people of Osun State for endorsing and affirming Ademola Adeleke’s governorship bid, the party sternly warns against any attempt to tamper with the result of the election.

“We want to assert that Ademola Adeleke has won this election overwhelmingly going by results at our disposal. We warn against any plot by some agents of chaos to doctor the results”.
But the Director General of the Campaign Council of Oyetola’s re-election, Senator Ajibola Basiru, described as “irresponsible the claim by the PDP that it has won the election which result is still being collated as we speak”.

In a statement issued in Osogbo, Basiru said: “The claim by the PDP was capable of setting Osun on fire.

“We warn the PDP to desist from making a frivolous and unsubstantiated claim about an election, which, as we speak, voting is still going on in some areas”.
Basiru called on the security agencies to take appropriate action in dealing decisively with the peddlers of false claim as they are setting the stage for violence and chaos.
“It has come to our knowledge that the PDP in a statement is already claiming victory for an election whose result is yet to be declared. We are not surprised at their claim because we know their antics”, he stated.
“Going by the result so far declared, there was no way PDP could lay claim to any victory. This is more so that in one of the Local Governments where the PDP candidate hails voting is still going on as we speak.
“Therefore, the PDP’s claim is tantamount to standing logic on its head. We appeal to our supporters and sympathisers in Osun and across the country to remain calm in the face of this obvious provocation.
“While we won’t do what the desperate people in the opposition PDP did by usurping the powers of INEC, we are however confident that with the positive results from the field at our disposal, the people’s support for Gov Oyetola will ultimately give him victory when the authority legally empowered to announce election results does so and he is declared Governor-elect.”

I’m Optimistic About Winning—Oyetola

Around 11 a.m., Oyetola spoke with reporters after casting his vote at Oloti Ward 1 Unit 2. He expressed optimism in winning reelection.
Due to his outstanding accomplishments over the past three and a half years in power, he claimed, the people will vote APC into office again.

Oyetola said: “I am very confident that I will be re-elected by the electorate, today, and by God’s Grace I will be celebrating the victory this evening.”

I’m Confident Of Winning—Adeleke

On his part, the PDP candidate expressed confidence of winning the election.
Speaking after casting his vote at Ward 2 Polling Unit 009, Sagba/Abogunde in Ede North Local Government Area of the state, the PDP candidate also commended the INEC for improving on the electoral process.

Asked about INEC’s performance so far, Adeleke said: “It is fantastic. I think INEC has improved. They can do better but they have improved and I must give them credit.”

When asked if he has heard any case of vote-buying, he said: “It is still early. I have not heard of any case and we hope nothing like that happens because we want this election to be a point of contact for 2023. The world is watching and this election is going to be a test case. So, let Osun people decide who they want.
“We met with INEC and they assured us that this election will not be like that of Ekiti. They promised that this election is going to be transparent, peaceful, free and fair.”

He, however, expressed confidence that he will emerge winner of the election, saying, “I am not afraid, I am confident of winning the election.”

Exercise too slow—Ogunbiyi

Separately, the governorship candidate of the Accord Party, Ogunbiyi, declared that he would win the election convincingly.

Ogunbiyi, in a chat with newsmen after voting at his Unit 003, Ward 05 in Methodist Primary School, Ileogbo, Ayedire council area, however, expressed concern that the exercise was too slow.
“I will win this election convincingly no doubt about it.
“I am not entertaining any fear because I have done my homework and highlighted the programmes I have for the good people of Osun state.

“But I discovered that the exercise here is too slow. The INEC officials here told me that only 35 persons have voted as at past 10am and we have over 500 eligible voters in the ward.
“They need to step up the process. We don’t want to start hearing that voting will stop by 3pm thereby disenfranchising so many voters. They need to put in more efforts and be fast about it.

“The reports I got from across the state showed massive turn out of voters and that the exercise is peaceful, orderly and without violence as at this morning”.

Massive Turn Out

The election witnessed massive turn-out of voters in major towns across Osun.
In Ede, Osogbo, Olorunda, Shekona, Ile-Ife, Ilesa, Obokun, Ila, Iragbiji, Iwo and Ejigbo, voters left their houses as early as 7am to check their names on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, register pasted at the respective polling units.

Early arrival of INEC staff, voting materials
Officials of INEC, including NYSC members, arrived the polling units as early as 6:30am and were seen at their duty posts.

The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, was deployed at each of the polling units.
Though there were glitches at the early stage of voting, INEC officials were able to address the situation.

Tight Security
Combined security operatives including the army, navy, police, civil defence, immigration, road safety, NDLEA, DSS, and fire service, were deployed for the election.

They were able to maintain law and order in the various polling units across the state.
Also, some security agents, stationed at flash points and strategic areas were seen frisking vehicles.

Police helicopter provided aerial surveillance of the three senatorial districts as they were seen going round from time to time.

New Techniques For Vote Buying

In yesterday’s election, politicians in Osun came up with ways to persuade potential voters to support their parties, adding a new dimension to vote-buying.

It would be noted that, in contrast to the obvious manner used during the governorship election in Ekiti State last month, vote-buying was more covert and deliberate.

Vote-buyers and -sellers in Osun came up with strategies for evading the scrutiny of security organizations, particularly the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Some polling stations along the Aregbe-Olaiya axis of the Ogo Oluwa-Abere Road in Osogbo and Ede, including one right next to the new flyover that the current administration built in the Olaiya area of Osogbo, used the new techniques.
The new methods included assigning somebody to stay at a place close to the voting stand and monitoring voters.

Once it was confirmed that a vote-seller had voted for a preferred party of the vote-buyers, he or she would be directed to a nearby place to write his or her name.

Thereafter, a tally would be given to the person which was later used to collect money from the vote-buyers.

The persons that had the cash with them would stay in a corner and some members of the team loitered carefully around the place to prevent intruders.

The name writers recruited for the purpose are mostly young ladies.

Voting For Highest Bidders

Similarly, in most polling units in Osogbo and Olorunda local government areas, many voters cast their votes for the highest bidders as it was gathered that a vote cost as much as N10,000 in the state capital.

A voter (name withheld) in Unit 35 said: “I was offered N7,000 by APC but when PDP gave N10, 000 I decided to vote for the party.

“Many of us took the N10,000 and voted PDP. It is wrong for the APC to offer us a lesser amount being the party in power.”

It was a similar situation at Ward 8, Units 11, 35, 38 as voters received as much as N10,000 to cast votes for any of the two leading parties.
In Odo-Otin, votes were sold for N5,000 by the PDP and APC.

A source, who pleaded anonymity, said both parties were neck-and-neck seeking voters’ favour with the said amount.

The voter said: “In most of the units, the people were left with no choice than to collect N5,000 and vote for a candidate of their choice since both parties offered the same amount.”

Some Agents Approached Us With N5,000, N2,000— Voters

In some polling units around Osogbo, a voter, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard, said some party agents approached them for negotiations.

The voter, who cast his vote at Agunbelawo along Okinni Ilobu road in Osogbo, said: “Some party agents approached us and told us they were going to give us N2,000 each if we voted for their party. “Another party agent tood us they would give us N5,000 if we voted for them. Some people agreed to collect from the highest bidder, while others said they would vote for their preferred candidate.”

Another voter, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard at Ward 4, PU004 CAC Primary School, Shekona in Ede South Local Government Area of Osun State, said they were asked to write down their names before casting their votes.

Inducement of voters was witnessed at Service Area of Osogbo as a voter revealed that party agents were giving between N5,000 and N10,000 to influence voters’ choice.

Three people are arrested by EFCC for vote-buying

EFCC operatives visited a few polling places in Osun State to observe the election in order to prevent voter inducement.
At Unit 1, Ward 1 Olotin of Iragbiji in the Boripe council area of the state, six of their officials were spotted.

When asked for an interview, the team’s female leader declined.

She said that they were monitoring the vote and that no one had been detained for vote-buying when pressed further. However, the commission arrested three people for engaging in the act.
The suspects include Jimoh Kazeem, Adeyemo Bahir and Abidogun Ismail.

The suspects were arrested by officials of the EFCC at Polling Unit 002, Ward 2, Ababu, Isale Osun in Osogbo. It was gathered that the suspects were caught with bags of cash as they were “inducing voters” during the electioneering process.

One of them was said to have also kept money in his socks.

It was gathered that some agents “rewarded” voters with cash between N5,000 and N10,000 after casting their votes, while the PDP gave N4,000 and above to voters after forcing them to swear to an oath in confirmation that they voted for the candidate of the party.