Ede: How Skirmishes Among PDP Members Led To Killing Of Pregnant Woman, Bricklayer •One of the torched buildings in Ede. Pg. 6Prophet Remanded Over Death Of 3 Persons In Osogbo FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 - THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2022 VOL 17 NO 31 Pg. 4 •Two Houses, Shops Torched •OSHA Minority Leader, Police Fingered In Crisis •I Don’t Know Anything About Killings, My Life In Danger - Lawmaker Ero-Arike Kidnapped, Rescued By FestivalDirectsExposed:PoliceFamodunAPCWardEx-ecutivesToSuspendTOPLeadersOsunOsogboHoldsToday TOURISMNEWSNEWSP. 5 P. 7 P. 6
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July 16: Oyetola, Famodun’s Reliance On Federal Might, Impunity Failed Them – Salinsile
Ismaeel Uthman headquarter visi ng the Minister for Environment to inform him about uncoordinated mining ac vi es and the effect on this world heritage site. “The headquarters has equally met with the Director General of Na onal Environmental Standards and Regula ons Enforcement Agency (NESRA) and we all agreed that thorough test will be carried out very soon.“However, the state government of Osun has taken a proac ve measure. First of all, we have located where we could block to purify the water. The purifica on would have begun but for the Osun Osogbo fes val and a li le hitch. Probably a er the fes val, this will be carried out.”
OSIEC Begins Preparation For LG Election Authority Locates Source Of Osun River’s Pollution
T HE Osun Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) has begun move to conduct the much talked about local government elec on in the state. There had been controversies on the proposed local government elec on by Governor Adegboyega Oyetola’s administra on which will come to an end on November 26, 2022. Some members of the public and the Peoples Democra c Party (PDP) in par cular had ques oned Oyetola’s sincerity and sudden plan to conduct the elec on a er losing his second term bid in the July 16 governorship poll. Oyetola had over a year ago said he could not conduct the local government Ismaeel Uthman Ismaeel Uthman elec on because of the ‘huge amount of money’ involved. He therea er appointed caretaker committee in each of the local governments and local council development areas. But the Governor, a er the emergence of Sen. Ademola Adeleke, as the Governor-elect, concluded plan to conduct the local government elec on. Poli cal analysts are of the view that the proposed local government elec on could be a landmine for the newHowever,governor.the Osun Independent Electoral Commission has indicated its readiness to conduct the local government elec on. The commission is scheduled to hold a meeting with all registered poli cal par es today, Friday, by 10:00am.According to the Chairman of the commission, Otunba Segun Oladitan, the essence of the meeting is to rob minds together with the poli cal par es in respect of the local government elec Oladitan,on.in a statement issued yesterday, said he expected to have all the poli cal par es adequately represented at the meeting.The statement reads in part: “The essence of the mee ng is to rob minds together with the poli cal par es in respect of the forthcoming Local Government Elec on in the state. “OSIEC, through the statement further reaffirms her commitment to conduct a Local Council Elec on that will be acceptable to all.”
•Salinsile.
•Cross section of New intakes of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Osun Command, during their sensitisation programme, held at the Command Headquarters, Osogbo, yesterday.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 - THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2022 2 News
ACTIONAL Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State of Osun, Hon. Rasaq Salinsile, has disclosed the reliance on Federal might and impunity by Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and the Chairman of the IleriOluwa fac on of the party, Prince Gboyega Famodun, failed them on the July 16 governorship elecSalinsileon. said both Oyetola and Famodun had relied on the use of federal might to compliment their act of impunity in the state to win the governorship elec on. According to Salinsile, it was unfortunate for both Oyetola and Famodun to see that the expected federal might did not come while their act of impunity could not also deliver votes for them on elec on day. He stated this on Wednesday while addressing a press conference at the Oranmiyan House,SalinsileOsogbo.said Oyetola and Famodun’s irresponsiveness and impunity on known for impunity as an ally of Governor Oyetola increased his reliability on the use of impunity to a ain their insningdinaryCaretakermembership“Governorgoals.Oyetola’sofNaonalandExtraor-ConvenonPlan-Commieefurthergatedhisrelianceon
T HE par cular spot where the en re Osun river is polluted has been iden fied. Site Manager of Osun Osogbo Sacred Groove, Prince Adekunle Olatunji, told OSUN DEFENDER on Tuesday that the source of the pollu on was traced to Ipanda, a community in Obokun local government of theAccordingstate. to Olatunji, uncoordinated mining acvi es in the area was responsible for the pollu on of theOlatunjiriver. said flood and erosion from uncovered land where mining ac vies are taken place in Iponda found their way into the Osun river from where it flows to other areas. However, Olatunji said the authority has begun move to clean up the water, promising that it will wear a new look very soon. He said: “This issue of Osun river coloura on has been genera ng a lot of controversies. But we thank God we have been able to locate the source of the pollu on which is Iponda at Obokun local government.“A report has been written which facilitated my the use of impunity. Everything was manipulated and all a empts to get jus ce were dealt with mercilessly and without a second thought. “It was very common to hear from that camp, “kiko lama ko”. Indeed, everything within their powers were wri en, except July 16 elec on that refused to obey that notoriousSalinsileorder.”
absolved members of The Osun Progressives from the allega ons that they worked against APC and mobilised voters for Sen. Ademola Adeleke, the “Towardsconferencemisfortune.forishpartyinabilityGovernor-elect.HesaidFamodun’stomanagethebecauseofhisself-interestisresponsibletheAPC’selectoralThetextofthepresspartlyreads,2022,theparty got divided into two with the former and incumbent governors leading each of the two caucuses. Famodun felt so comfortable to side with one of them and make the enemy of the other because of lucre-immediate“Then,gain. we went to elec on and lost scandalously, even in our tradi onal safe cons tuencies and he starts looking for a scapegoat. Famodun is to be told that he is an original failure and should be so told. “The TOP which Famodun is trying to blame had offered to help him in resolving the ma ers that is affec ng the party but his penchant for avarice, greed and corrupon will not allow him to see“Mayreason.we ask Famodun, is it the TOP leaders and members who he described as rebels, insignificant, not popular at home, not core policians, etc that suddenly, in his warped thinking, became strong enough to win an elec on against him and his almighty government?“Itisonly a warped and a here cal thinking that has brought Famodun to that inebriated conclusion. Is it TOP that make Famodun and other cabinet members lose in their various wards and local governments? “We take Boluwaduro local government for par cular example, with very small voters registraon but with Famodun, three cabinet members and head of a powerful agency in town, the APC lost. Could that be the work of TOP? For those who operates a bad system, they will never see anything wrong in it un l it crashes.“Pung a lie to Famodun’s allega on are tones of abuses and curses that are placed on the leadership of Governor Oyetola and kitchen cabinet by members of the IleriOluwa camp who felt let down by the outcome of the elec on and the flippant manners their advice to resolve the obvious crisis in the party were treated. “The contents of those voice notes should be more than enough for modest and reasonable person to bury their heads in Salinsileshame.”said both Oyetola and Famodun are responsible for the defeat suffered by the APC in the governorship elec“Theon. duo of Governor Oyetola and Prince Famodun have definitely fulfilled their wishful mission to bring APC down in Osun.“The Na onal Secretariat has a duty not to wait any longer. The wall of Jericho has fallen with Famodun’s confession and Osun APC should undergo immediate reorganisa on, reboo ng, re-energising for greater future performances,” said Salinsile. party issues led to total collapse of the APC’s winning structures and the eventual loss of the governorship elec on. He accused Oyetola and Famodun of deliberately weakening the Osun APC by wishing away ‘dog-handlers’ and grassroots mobilisers who have been delivering victory for the party since 2007.Salinsile asked the Na onal Secretariat of the party to immediately restructure Osun APC, no ng that the only way to bring back the winning strength of the party is to reorganise it before the 2023 general elec ons. The former Chief of Staff to the governor said it is unfortunate that both Famodun and Oyetola wanted to dislodge genuine progressives in the party with paperweight poli cians who could not win their units, wards and local tainingoffederalla’sliancetantHegovernments.said,“Itisimpor-tonotetheheavyre-ofGovernorOyeto-IleriOluwa’sgrouponmightandpowerincumbency.Thebring-intothepartyofcer-outcastwhoiswell
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A NYTHING coming from former President Olusegun Obasanjo should be assessed with circumspec on. He and the military mindset of the ‘class of 1966’ have been a part of the problem. We are not too certain as to the role they can make in finding a solu on. Nevertheless, there are mes when it is compelling to ignore the messenger and concentrate on the message. A few days ago, the crusty Owu chief stated that the choice made in next year’s presiden al elec on will make or mar the republic. He is in this admoni on making a statement of the obvious. The country, to say the list, is at a cri cal junc on. The program put on offer to the Nigerian people will be of existen al importance. Disappoin ngly, it has all been uninspiring so far. There has been an absurd fixaon on ephemeral personali es rather than on the efficacy of programs.Thishas to stop. At this moment, the country needs a detailed program of social and economic reconstruc on backed by the necessary cons tu onal adjustments to translate it into enduring paradigm shi s. When campaigns officially kick off next month, the electorate must insist on a focus on programs. This is the only way out
OSUN DEFENDER
Publisher – Moremi Publishing House Ltd. Deputy Editor – Ismaeel Uthman Produc on Editor – Petkola Taiwo Ibitowa Reporter – Yusuf Oketola Reporter – Kazeem Badmus Photo Journalist – Olushola Aderinto Computer Graphics – Zainab Olalere OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guarantee Trust Bank (GTB), Gbogan Road Osogbo, State of Osun ISSN : 0794-8050 Telephone : 0809-301-9152 Website : www.osundefender.com/index.php e-mail : osundefender@yahoo.comosundefenderbank@gmail.com
3 FIRSTPEOPLE FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 - THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2022
Making The Right Choice
opposi on poli cians and the press. There is nothing wrong in being cri cal of innovaon. But something is wrong with not taking me to study it and iden fying its advantages., He embarked on massive infrastructural projects, focusing on township and rural roads, rural electrifica on projects, state-of-the-art school buildings and facilies, parks, extensive drainage projects, and a befi ng shopping mall towards the end of hisNottenure.done, he introduced a variety of social protec on ini a ves, which straddled many sectors of the economy. Steered by the Director General of the Office of Economic Development and Partnership (OEDP), Dr. Charles Akinola, and supervised by the Chairman of Osun Social Protec on Programmes Implementa on Commi ee, Dr. Olalekan Yinusa, the programmes included the Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme; Osun Youth Empowerment Programme; 9 Social Welfare Scheme for the Elderly; Rehabilita on Programme for the Des tute and Mentally Challenged; Empowerment Programme for Widows; Free Ambulance Services; and a variety of agricultural ini a ves, encapsulated in the Osun Rural Enterprise and Agricultural Programme (OREAP). Virtually every project ini ated by the Aregbesola administra on was a acked by the press, mostly for the wrong reasons. For example, the reorganisa on of the educa onal system to accommodate the feeding of vulnerable six to nine year-old kids in Elementary Grades 1-4, was wrongly viewed as a contraven on of the na on’s 6-3-3-4 system, while the introduc on of free school uniforms for easy iden fica on of school kids was drowned by a poli cally mo vated hijab crisis and an Islamisa on agenda.Nobody cared about the garment factory and the employment it generated. Not done, the press made Aregbesola the poster boy of non-payment of salaries at a me when at least 28
A Lesson From Kenya OPINION
A S we go to press, the presiden al elec on in Kenya between the incumbent Deputy President Samoei Arap Ruto and veteran poli cian, Raila Oginga Odinga is s ll too close to call. One key observa on for us in Nigeria should focus on Elec on Day itself. It is important to note that there was no shutdown of economic ac vi es because of the elec on. This should be food for thought for those who perennially remind us of our “Giant of Africa” status. The cost of shu ng down an economy for a whole day is enormous. Unfortunately, since we are fixated on consumpon rather than on produc on, it does not appear to ma er. Well, it does! The country in its present dilemma had be er start thinking of raving up revenue genera on through producon and expor ng its way out of a looming foreign currencydenominated debt crisis. On Tuesday in Kenya, people admirably dropped their children at school a er which they voted and went to work. Banks, commercial houses, and transporta on were all in full swing despite a presiden al elec on taking place. We must learn from Kenya and start preparing for the 2027 presiden al elec on immediately a er a new president is sworn in next year. Nigeria cannot con nue to present an image of itself to the outside world as a backward antediluvian en ty. It should be catch-up me and all the processes of the electoral system should be re modelled and modernised.Thisshould include Con nuous Voter Registra on, electronic vo ng and vo ng rights for Nigerians in the diaspora. The key point is that the electoral process is a reflec on of the strength of a democracy and a reflec on of the compe veness of its economy. We must address the deficiency with urgency. Kudos to the people of Kenya
The Rising Star Of The South West: Aregbesola Unprecedented Score Card
T HE immediate past Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, was by no means a typical governor. He once acknowledged his unusualness before a curious audience by asking them, “Do I look like a governor?” He was unusual in physique, in approach, and in governance style. Accordingly, he preferred Ogbeni to His Excellency; and he referred to his state as the State of Osun. He even once declared an unusual Muslim holiday. Led by a leading newspaper, the press immediately pounced on him, and never let go un l he le office. I was ini ally coopted into the nega ve press corps, leading to my cau onary ar cle, en tled “Ogbeni, so ly, so ly” (The PUNCH, November 27, 2012). However, the more I looked into Aregbesola’s ac vi es and projects at close quarters, the more I realised that the press was wrong about him most of the me. This is not to say that he was above board. He surely deserved cri cism for his excesses failures, to which I will return later. Nevertheless, the baby need not have been thrown out with the bathwater. However, my interven onist a empts (for example, ‘Reporters and false reports’, The PUNCH, September 9, 2014) to set the records straight were dwarfed by persistent press nega vity, partly because Ogbeni reacted harshly to nega ve press; partly because he persisted in pursuing his goal with characteris c nonchalance; and partly because he carried his unusualness into many policyForareas.example, he reorganised the educa onal system, reclassified schools, and merged some schools in the process. He even renamed some of them, including my alma mater of Ilesa Grammar School, to the discomfiture of some old students. Rather than purchase textbooks, he introduced Opon Imo, the Tablet of Knowledge, in which textbooks and other educa onal resources were stored. He quickly suffered the fate of innovators, by being a acked by “By the time Aregbesola was about to leave office, the arrears and full salaries were already being paid. Osun’s debt burden became another target of criticism, even where the Debt to GDP ratio was only 5.8 per cent, compared to the Federal Government’s 21 per cent and the internationally accepted standard of 40 per cent. As in the case of non-payment of salaries, Osun needs not be singled out for its debt burden as there were many more states, even in the South-West, with a higher debt burden”
B NIYII A K I N N A S AKINNASOO
NBYYIY
“The key point is that the electoral process is a reflection of the strength of a democracy and a reflection of the competitiveness of it’s economy. We must address the deficiency with urgency”
EDE: How Skirmishes Among PDP Members Led To Killing Of Pregnant Woman, Bricklayer •Rukayat Olalekan.
Minority Leader Brought Policemen To Kill My Brother – Deceased’s Sister Narra ng the incident, Rukayat Olasoji, the women leader of the ward said, “I’m the younger sister to Olalekan Abideen who was killed on Friday, August 5, 2022. I am also the elder sister to Tunde Olalekan, whose wife was also killed on that same day. “What happened was that we had issues during our PDP ward mee ng which involved the minority leader of State House of Assembly, Hon. Kofoworola Nurudeen (Akogun) concerning the money that was given to us a er we won the elec on. The money was to be shared among ward members for a job well done in the elec on. “I belong to Ward 1, Oloba Atapara, Ede North Local Government where the minority leader also came from. On that day, we asked the Ward Chairman about the money meant for us and she told us that the money was with Akogun (the minority leader). “The chairman said Akogun told him that he had spent the money when he asked him. The chairman told us to forget the money.“My mother, Silifat Olalekan, who was one of the delegates that got Akogun elected during the House of Assemblies primaries, and another woman called Sokope Alhaja stood up to challenge the ward chairman on the money. They told him that they would not allow us to be cheated on something we all worked for. “At that point, things got a li le heated up and a guy called Olobe, Akogun’s driver, a empted to beat my mother but some guys at the mee ng prevented him. He le the mee ng and later returned with police officers from division 1, Pere. The police se led the issue in the presence of Akogun and we all le the mee“Aboutng. 30minutes a er the mee ng ended, I was at the junc on talking with some people when Akogun came with policemen from Osogbo; the officers were pu ng on blue jacket. One of the policemen tapped my shoulder, seeking my audience.“Iwas the one Akogun asked them (policemen) to arrest because the minority leader pointed at me from his car. His car was following that of the policemen. One of the policemen tapped and told me my a en on was needed in Osogbo.“Mybrother, Abideen Olalekan, who was coming from the other side of the road saw us and came near asking me what my business was with the police. Before I could say anything, I heard a gunshot and the person the police shot was my “Akogun’sbrother. claim that my brother was dragging gun with the police officer is a big lie. He also said that my brother brought out a gun, those are lies against the “Adead.er the police shot my brother, Akogun told the officers to carry his corps and it was put at the back of their vehicle and they drove off “Later, I was called from Pere Police Sta on to come and give report. I was at the Sta on with my husband when Akogun called that some people have set his parents’ house ablaze and his dad was missing. He later came to the sta on and told the officers there to arrest my husband and I, claiming that he suspected us of masterminding the torching of the house. “The police asked the me the incident happened and he said around 9pm. The police told him that I have been with them since 8pm. He insisted that the police should release me to him so he could hand me over to some unknown policemen from Osogbo police. The policemen at Pere rejected and told him to go and look for his suspect elsewhere. He got furious and told us that we were lucky he wasn’t with his gun, else he would have killed us right there. He attempted to snatch a gun from one of the policemen following him but the officer withdrew the rifle. He le the sta on with anger. “It wasn’t up to 10 minutes a er he le that a soldier brought my niece, Azeenat, to the sta on.
•Abideen
FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 - THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2022 4 NewsNews Ismaeel Uthman Kazeem Badmus
I Don’t Know Anything About Killings, My Life In Danger – Lawmaker But Adewumi, the lawmaker, denied all the allega ons, saying that he was not involved in the killings and destruc on of property.In an interview with newsmen on Tuesday, Adewumi accused the state government of ‘selec ve sympathy and bias’ in its reac on to the crisis. The minority leader said, “On Friday, August 5, 2022, around 6pm, I went to my party’s mee ng at Ward 1, Oloba Atapara, Ede North local government. I met the Ward Secretary of the party quarrelling with one woman. I calmed both par es down but the situa on degenerated to the point where members were pel ng sachet water at one another. I was pelted as well but I maintained my “Aboutcalmness.five minutes later, a guy known as Ganiyu Ibrahim (Elemo) and other guys who are known to be thugs rushed to the meeting. They were armed with cutlasses and clubs and they started bea ng people. I was a acked as well but I did not do anything. The ward secretary was chased out of the meeting and he called his police friend from Pere Police Staon. It was the policeman that came to rescue him from where he was chased to and I le the venue of the mee ng therea er. “On my way, I stopped Olalekan.•Hon. Adewumi.
The officer said he picked her up from a woman who was shot at Atapa. I collected the child from him; she was soaked with blood. “At that moment, I started calling people to inform them and asked them to look for the child’s mother, who is the wife of my younger brother, Tunde Olalekan. Everyone I called told me that members of the Oodua’s Peoples Congress (OPC) and some thugs brought by Akogun were on rampage and shooting sporadically. It was in the morning that we saw Azeenat’s mother’s corpse in front of the house where she was killed. Our family house was also burnt that night.”The grieving woman pleaded with the government, human rights organiza ons and individuals to support the family in getng jus ce on the loss. She said, “If truly there is a working judicial system with fairness, there should be jus ce for our family. We want jus ce for our family. We don’t want to be cheated on this case.”
L AST Friday and Saturday’s crisis in Ede has been described has one too many. The crisis started from a mere quarrel among members of the Peoples Democra c Party (PDP) at Ward 1, Oloba Atapara, Ede, Ede North Local Government of the State of Osun, on Friday, August 5 and raged ll Saturday, August 6. A bricklayer, Abideen Olalekan, popularly known as ‘Kuranga’ and a pregnant woman, Kafayat Olalekan, were killed while two houses and three shops were torched.Kafayat Olalekan, a nursing mother, was said to be four-month-old pregnant when she was shot dead by unknown persons around 10pm of Friday at Atapa area of Ede. Her daughter, Azeenat, was reportedly removed from her back and put on her lifeless body a er being shot on her breast. The late Abideen Olalekan was allegedly shot by a policeman a ached to the Osun Commissioner of Police’s Surveillance Team, Mr. Isaac Adekunle Omoyele, in a close range on the order of the Minority Leader of the House of Assembly, State of Osun, Hon. Babajide Kofoworola Adewumi.BothAbideen Olalekan and Kafayat Olalekan are from the same house and the same family. But Adewumi said he was nowhere near Atapa where the vic ms were killed, maintaining that he did not bring any policeman to the Omoyele,town.the policeman that allegedly killed Abideen Olalekan, was on August 3, 2022 deployed as Chief Security Officer to the Governor-elect, Sen. Ademola Adeleke, by the Inspector General of Police.Some members of the public have been protesting Omoyele’s deployment, no ng that a policeman that is allegedly caught in the web of unprofessional conducts should not be trusted with such sensi ve posiHowever,on. inves ga ons by OSUN DEFENDER revealed that the deceased was shot when he asked why the policemen wanted to arrest his younger sister, Rukayat Olasoji, the caretaker Women Leader of Ward 1, Oloba Atapara. “Abideen Olalekan did not engaged the policemen in any alterca on, not to talk of a emp ng to snatch gun from them,” said sources who witnessed how he wasNotkilled.a single person passed a nega ve comment on the deceased when interviewed. He was said to be the breadwinner of theOlalekan’sfamily. blood stained the curvet and ground when OSUN DEFENDER visited the spot on Tuesday.Findings further revealed that in protest of the killing, some irate youths in the area mobilised themselves and set Adewumi’s parents’ house ablaze at Iso-Isu area, Ede. Inves ga ons revealed that the crisis started when some members of the PDP at the ward mee ng asked ques ons about a sum of N200,000 reportedly given to them by the Governorelect, Sen. Ademola Adeleke, to celebrate his electoral victory.Some members of the party at the mee ng claimed that the money was given to Adewumi, the Minority Leader, who was to deliver it to the Ward Chairman for sharing among party members. It was gathered that the failure to make the money available led to quarrel among members of the party, par cularly between Adewumi’s driver, known as Olobe and an elderly woman, Silifat Olalekan, the mother of the deceased.
•Continued from Page 4
Miners Freed After Paying N20m Ransom In Osun
•The murdered Kafayat Olalekan.
ministra on of Governor Oyetola should be guarded for it not to erode the state.“Iwant to charge parents to con nue to guide and monitor their wards across the state so that youths will not be engaged in thuggery or anything that will disrupt the peace of the state on the altar of pedestal poli cs.”
The speaker enjoined guardians and parents to ensure that youths are not hoodwinked into destroying the peace the state had hitherto enjoyed on the altar of poliOwoeyecs. admonished youths in the state to ensure that the peace that the state is known for is not tampered with. He said: “I want to charge our youths not to allow themselves to be used as agents of distabilisa on. Do not allow yourselves to be used for thuggery and brigandage. You must ensure that the peace that the state is known for remains. “The peace enjoyed before and during the ad-
Don’t Allow Yourselves To Be Used As Agents of Destruction, Owoeye Charges Osun Youth Ero-Arike Kidnapped, Rescued By Police
AbductedLed...Gold
The State of Osun Police Command has assured the Olalekan family which lost two of its members to the crisis of jus ce. Police Public Rela ons Officer, Osun Command, Mrs Yemisi Opalola, in an interview with OSUN DEFENDER, said inves gaons have begun on the ma er, no ng that the Commissioner of Police, Mr Olawale Olokode, has disbanded the CP’s Surveillance Team which is allegedly responsible for the killing of the deceased. Opalola said,“When the CP was informed about the incident with the alleged involvement of some officers of the Surveillance Team, he disbanded the team and asked the officers to report to the state command immediately. Inves ga ons have commenced on the ma “Anybodyer. that is found guilty in the crisis will face the full wrath of law. I want to assure the family of those that were killed in the crisis that they will get jus ce. I want to appeal to residents and indigenes of Ede to trust the police, remain calm and do not take laws into their hands.”
T Speaker, State of Osun House of Assembly, RT. Hon. Timothy Owoeye, has charged youths of the State not to allow policians to use them as agents of destruc on and thuggery.Owoeye stated this just as the Assembly passed into law a bill seeking to upgrade the College of Educa on, Ilesa, to full fledge University on Monday.
P OPULAR businesswoman in the State of Osun, Alhaja Falilat Oyetunji, popularly known as Ero Arike, was on Tuesday kidnapped by some gunmen.Oyetunji was kidnapped at Olorunda village, Iragbiji, Boripe Local Government where she went to visit her mother. But the businessman was rescued by policemen about 20 minutes a er she was kidnapped. OSUN DEFENDER gathered that three of the kidnappers were arrested by officers of the An -kidnapping squad of the State of Osun Police Command. An indigene of Iragbiji and two northerners were part of the suspects arrested, it was gathered.Police Public Rela on Officer, Osun Command, Mrs. Yemisi Opalola confirmed the incidence.Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, Oyetunji said she was kidnapped by two hooded gunmen inside her mum’s house and taken through bush before some policemen came to her rescue. She said: “I had been having strange feeling for the past few days and I had reported to the police. On Tuesday, August 9, when I wanted to visit my mother at Olorunda village, Iragbiji, I contacted the police to provide me “Immediatelysecurity.Igot to my mother’s house and I was greeting everybody, two young men who covered their faces and armed with gun suddenly came from nowhere and gripped me. They whisked me away into the bush and I was shou ng. “Luckily for me, the police came on me and they chased the kidnappers. They shot the person that was carrying me on his shoulder. The other suspects fled but some of them were arrested.“One of the arrested suspects is an indigene of my hometown, Iragbiji. Two others are either Fulani or Hausa. I must thank the police for their prompt response. I however want to appeal to them to please do thorough invesga ons and prosecute the suspects.“The government should not sweep the case under the carpet.” •Alhaja Falilat Oyetunji.
Yusuf Oketola at the PDP secretariat at Oke Areago and held a discussion with some party members there for like 10 minutes. I therea er le for Osogbo. I have not go en to Osogbo when I received a call that some policemen have killed somebody in Ede. I then decided to return to home. “I have not go en to Ede when I heard that my parents’ house at Iso-Isu has been torched. I was worried and halted my movement to Ede. I called some policemen to join me and we both headed to my parents’ house. “I met the house on fire. I enquired from people where my parents were and I was told my mother ran out of the house before it was set ablaze. But my father is old and could not run. So, his whereabout was unknown. I le there with the policemen to my own house in Ogberin. I pleaded with them to help me protect the house and I le to report at Pere Police Sta “Ion.met a lady known as Ruka and her husband at the police sta on. I told the Divisional Police Officer that my dad was missing and he said he was on the ma er. Suddenly, the DPO disappeared and I had to call him on phone for not taking my case serious. Immediately I dropped the phone, some policemen brought a li le girl of one year of age to the sta on. “I had earlier been told that some thugs had attacked my driver’s wife and forcefully took away her child. I no ced the baby was stained with blood and later, we were told that the mother of the li le girl had been killed at Atapa. That is what I know about that. “The most important thing to me now is to know the whereabout of my father. It is unfortunate that the state government did not care about my missing father and my property while reac ng on the ma er. Is it because the people that perpetrated the evil acts are members of the APC? I am not safe, my life and that of my family members are in danger. The commissioner of police did not provide security for me.“I am not the one that brought policemen to the mee ng or where they shot the deceased. I did not know anything about it. “I did not know anything about how the family house of Tunde Elemo was burnt. I was inside the police sta on at that me; it was midnight. The DPO led me to where I slept. So, where and how did I get involved in the torching of the house?“Itwas Tunde Elemo that set my house ablaze. They are APC members who have been terrorizing EdeSpeakingcommunity.”onthe reported N200,000 he is supposed to deliver to the ward to celebrate Adeleke’s victory, Adewumi said he was not given any money to deliver to the“Didward.party send money to the ward? Don’t we have ward chairman? How would the money meant for the ward be sent to me? I represent the cons tuency, not the ward,” he said. Police Assure Vicms’ Family Of Jus ce, Probe Officers
•Notorious hoodlum, Hammed Rasheed (Oko-ilu), who has been terrorising Ede and its environs, being taken to court for arraignment on Wednesday.
EDE: How Skirmishes Among PDP Members
On the passage of University of Ilesa, Osun State establishment Bill 2022, the Speaker notes that, “Now that the bill has been passed into law, the Governor may appoint a Working Committee to see to the making of the University any me from now”.
Agold miner and his driver who were abducted two weeks ago along IlesaOsogbo road by some unknown gunmen have been released a er paying a sum of N20 million. The principal gold miner, Musibau Adepoju and his driver, whose name could not be ascertained, were abducted on Friday, July 29, 2022. It was gathered that the driver was conveying Adepoju in an excavator caterpillar to Osogbo from Ilesa when the incidentThehappened.kidnappers had earlier demanded for a sum of N100m ransom from Adepoju’s family before they later reduced it to N50m and eventually N20m.Afamily source informed OSUN DEFENDER that the vic ms were released safely on Wednesday a er paying the N20m ransom to their captors.“Alhaji and his driver have been released but we paid N20 million to the people that kidnapped them. We have to beg them before they can collect the ransom from us. Nowhere is safe again in this country,” the source told the medium.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 - THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2022 5NewsNews
Yusuf Oketola Ismaeel Uthman
AZEEZQUADRIPUBLICATIONMARIAMDUPEMUKAILAOLAPADE
•As Osun Govt Warns Devotees, Tourists Not To Drink From Osun River Osun Osogbo Grand Finale Festival Holds TodayLand Dispute Lands 62-Yr-Old Man In Prison
A obtainedtheAdebayo.whichkolanut,casharynerofwasogbo.landweaponswitharminglaimonKolawoleers,bayoAbdurafiCommunityeningaccusedoverrecremandedModupe,hajiman,62-year-oldAl-Basiruhasbeenincor-onalcentrelanddispute.Modupewasofthreat-tokillaHead,uAde-andtwooth-AbdurasheedandSu-IsiakabyhimselfdangerousoveramaerinOs-Thedefendantalsoaccuseddestroyingcor-piece(bound-marks)andcrops(cocoa,orange)belongtoAccordingtochargesheetby
FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 - THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2022 6 News
OSUN DEFENDER on Wednesday, the accused person and others at large commi ed the offence on July 19, 2022 at Oloogun area, Kobongbogboe,TheOsogbo.alleged offence, according to the police, contravened Sec ons 516, 86, 517, and 451 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Vol. II, Laws of Osun State,However,2002. the accused person pleaded not guilty to the six-count charge bordering on conspiracy, threat to life and malicious damage levelled against him.The hearing.gustIlesabethatDaramola,magistrate,presidingO.AorderedthedefendantremandedinCorreconalCentre.ThecasewasadjournedllAu-30,2022for
Adeyemi Raheem Prophet Remanded Over Death Of 3 Persons In Osogbo
That I was formerly known and addressed as QUADIR MARIAM OYINKANSOLA. Now wish to be known and addressed as QUADRI MARIAM DUPE. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note. That I was formerly known and addressed as LASISI MUKAILA OLAPADE. Now wish to be known and addressed as AZEEZ MUKAILA OLAPADE. All former documents remain valid. First Bank & General public should take note.
O SOGBO , the capital of the State of Osun, will be agog today (Friday), as Osun devotees, tourists, cultural enthusiasts and indigenes, celebrate this year’s Osun Osogbo fesval.Osogbo town and the Palace of Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun Oyetunji, had been bustling for the past few days with ac vies in prepara on for the grand finale of the Osun fes val. Kazeem Badmus Also, tourists and cultural enthusiasts from across the globe, have flooded the state capital to join the ac vi es for the celebra on of the United Na on Educa on Scien fic and Cultural Organisa on’s (UNESCO) Osun Osogbo fes val. The fes val kicked off on Monday August 1 with the clearing and cleansing of the tradional paths called “Iwo Popo’’.This was followed by the ligh ng of the 500year-old ‘Atupa oloju merindinlogun’, which took place on August 4. ‘Bibo Ade Oba Osogbo’ (honouring past kings of Osogbo) was also part of the ac vi es which prelude the grand finale.Yesterday, the tradional rite ‘Dida Ifa Arugba’, where a young virgin woman (Arugba) of a royal lineage, offers sacrifices to the deity took place.The grand finale will witness a votary maid (Arugba Osun), going to the river with a calabash filled with an qui es to worship the goddess of theHowever,river. observers were of the opinion that unlike the previous years, devotees might be reluctant to take the Osun river for consump on, owing to its contamina on. OSUN DEFENDER had reported in its previous edi ons that the river has, for over three years, been polluted by mining ac vi es in Ijesaland. Also, a nongovernmental organisa ons, Urban Alert, has over the years been calling for the clean-up of the contaminated 213km Osun River. Osun Govt Warns
DrinkTouristsDevotees,NotToOsunRiver
OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, the accused person committed the offence on June 28, 2022 at Ofatedo, Egbedore local government area of the State. The alleged offence, according to the police, contravened Sec ons 324 and 319(1) of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Vol. II, Laws of Osun state, 2002. But the plea of the accused person was not taken because the magistrate court lacks jurisdic on to entertain murder relatedHowever,cases. the presiding Magistrate, Mrs. O.A Daramola, directed the police prosecutor, Asp. John Idoko, to send the case file to the Ministry of Jusce for Director of Public Prosecuon’sSheadvice.therea er ordered that the accused person be remanded in Ilesa Correc onal Centre and adjourned the case ll November 1, 2022 for men on. David Osundeyi Police Arraign 2 Vigilantes For Alleged Burglary In Modakeke
The State of Osun Government has warned tourists, devotees and visitors to the grand finale of the annual Osun Osogbo Fes val on Friday not to drink water from the Osun River because of contamina on. The government spoke through the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Rafiu Isamotu, in an interview with the newsmen on Thursday in Osogbo.He said government embarked on the sensi sa on to discourage people from drinking the water during the fes val as it had been contaminated by the acvi es of ar sanal miners and not good for human consump on. According to him, “There are radio jingles on the health hazard of drinking water from the Osun River due to contamina“However,on. this is a cultural thing and no ma er how hard you try, some people will not oblige, but we will con nue to sensi se them.“There may not be a quick fix to this pollu on, but as government, we will con nue to do the drinkingplefurtherduringwouldlicarms,’’weiters.toworkingthistaken“Governmentneedful.hascognizanceofpolluonandreallyhardpreventtheacvi-esofarsanalmin-“Itisamenace;verydifficult,butcannotfoldourhestressed.Isamotusaidpub-healthofficialsbeatthegrovethefesvaltosensisepeo-onthedangersofthewater.
Aetman,42-year-oldproph-ofCherubim and Seraphim Church, Ofatedo, State of Osun, Taiwo Olaniyi, has been remanded in Ilesa Correc onal Centre over the death of three persons in his church. Olaniyi was accused of killing one Rasidat tainedchargemurder.onchargecourtraignedlyAfolabiandAnifowoseMufutau,BasiratAbdulrahmanrespecve-inhischurch.Hewasar-beforetheonfour-countborderingconspiracyandAccordingtothesheetob-by
T WO members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN), Sunday Gbadegesin (35) and Oyebade Akinyobi (35), have been arraigned before a Magistrate Court si ng in Ile-Ife, State of Osun, for allegedly breaking into the shops of two persons in Modakeke. The VGN members allegedly carted away food and drink items from the shops which belong to Kehinde Akinwusi and AjibolaOyebadeAkinyefa. and Akinyobe allegedly broke the wall and entered into Akinwusi’s shop where they carted away 15 cartons of trophy beer, 12 packs of fearless drinks, 10 packs of malt, five cartons of Smirnoff, five cartons of medium stout, five crates of big stout and seven crates of origin pet, all valued at OtherN326,000.items carted away from Akinwusi shop, according to the charge sheet, included wines, eight packs of seaman hot Tolulope Babatunde drinks, three packs of Chelsea hot drinks, two packs of yahoo hot drinks, five packs of merit hot drinks, all totalling N238,000. Also, the accused persons allegedly stole 100 loaves of Fortunate bread, eight crates of eggs and so drinks, all worth N716,000 from Akinyefa’s shop.They were brought before the court on a -two count charge of burglary andAccordingstealing. to the charge sheet obtained by OSUN DEFENDER on Wednesday, the defendants commi ed the offence on January 13, 2022 at midnight, at Abaja-Olowu Area, Modakeke.The alleged offence, according to the police, contravened Sec ons 383, 390(9), 413(2) and 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Vol.II, Laws of Osun State, 2002.However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the two allega ons. Defence counsel, Mariam Lai-Ibrahim, prayed the court to admit the accused persons to bail on liberal terms, promising that they would not jump bail and would provide reliable sure es. The presiding Magistrate, A. I. Oyebadejo, granted bail to the defendants in a sum of N250,000 with two sure es each. The case was adjourned ll August 15, 2022 for men on.
N ETHERLANDS interna onal, Memphis Depay, is set to be offloaded as the Liga giants look to raise extra funds It was confirmed that the Barcelona forward is nego a ng his departure from Camp Nou with Juventus currently best placed to sign the Dutchman. The Serie A club are considering whether to make a move for Depay, who is now surplus to requirements for the JuventusBlaugrana.would likely be able to sign the a acker on a free transfer as Barcelona look to offload players to ease their financial difficules and register new signings such as Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde.Theformer Manchester United forward and his representa ves are expected
Depay Negotiating Barcelona Exit, To Consider Juventus Offer
FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 - THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2022 7Sports Benzema Becomes Real Madrid Second Highest Scorer
Sterling Reveals Why He Left Man City for Chelsea
Adeleke’s Certificate of Return Yusuf Oketola Olamide Adeboyejo
Exposed: Famodun Directs APC Ward Executives To Suspend TOP Leaders
THE crisis rocking the All CongressProgressives(APC)in the State of Osun is taking a newTheredimension.isafresh plot to suspend some leaders of the party who belong to The Osun Progressives, a caucus of the APC, following the call for the removal of the Chairman, Prince GboyegaFamodunFamodun.who belongs to the IleriOluwa fac on of the party and being recognised at the State Chairman of the party, has been facing poli cal turbulence of his alleged complicity in the electoral loss of the party in the July 16, 2022 governorship elecTheon.emba led faconal Chairman has reportedly directed officials of the party at the ward level to suspend leaders of The Osun Progressives (TOP) in their various wards. OSUN DEFENDER gathered that Famodun allegedly summoned some ward execu ves of the party in about three local government to his house in Osogbo, on Monday, where he directed them to go and suspend some of the TOP leaders from APC.Sources at the meeting confided in the medium that some of the TOP leaders to be suspended include fac onal Chairman of the party, Hon. Rasaq Salinsile, his Secretary, Mr Adelani Baderinwa former Chairman of the party, Rev’d Lowo Adebiyi, former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salaam, among others. The suspension direc ve, according to the sources, is a plot to silent some members of the party who have been calling for Famodun’s removal amidst call for restructuring of the APC, following its electoral defeat in the July 16, 2022 governorshipHowever,poll. the medium was unable to confirm the readiness of the APC ward execuves to carry out the suspension direc ve. Responding to the allega on, the Spokesperson of Famodun, Mr. Kola Olabisi, said he was not aware of the direc ve.
R AHEEM Sterling has explained why he joined Chelsea this summer, revealing that he was unwilling to accept not being a guaranteed starter at Manchester City during his peak years.The England internaonal did not pull any punches when explaining why he departed the E had City.duringtheavailablewinningmer,toEseven-yearSterling’sStadium.illustriousspellatthehadStadiumcameanendthissum-withtheforwardeveryhonourtohimexceptChampionsLeaguehismewithInrecentseasons, to meet with Juventus officials to discuss poten al terms.The outcome of these nego a ons will likely decide Depay’s future, but Juventus are believed to be admirers of the Netherlands interna onal and could offer him a two-year however, the England interna onal slipped down the pecking order under Pep Guardiola, having previously been one of the first names on the team sheet. Chelsea paid £47.5
T HE Young Progressives Party (YPP) has asked the Elec on Pe on Tribunal to order the Independent Naonal Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the Cer ficate of Return issued to Sen. Ademola Adeleke as the winner of the July 16, 2022 governorship elec on. YPP also asked the tribunal to nullify the poll on the ground that it did not comply with the Electoral Act.The party, in its pe on before the tribunal, stated that INEC failed to give 360 days no ce for the conduct of the elec on as s pulated by the Electoral Act, 2022, which was used to conclude the poll. It added that INEC started the process of the July 16 poll with an Electoral Act that did not recognise the Bimodal Voters Accredita on System (BVAS) and also failed to give adequate no ce of elec on as s pulated by the Thelaw. pe on partly reads, “The No ce of Elec on issued by the 1st Respondent did not give an allowance of 360 days between the date of its issuance and 16th July, 2022 when the elec on was conducted.“Westate that the accredita on of voters in the 16th July, 2022 governorship elec on in Osun State was done using the Bimodal Voter Accredita on System, BVAS, which is an electronic methodology of voters’ verifica on and accredita on that was introduced by the Electoral Act, 2022.“We state that BVAS or any other form of electronic verifica on and accredita on of voters was not permi ed by law before the enactment of the Electoral Act, 2022. “Your pe oner shall contend at the hearing of this case that the governorship elec on held on 16th July, 2022 in Osun State was/is invalid for the reason that the 1st
Respondent failed and/or neglected to give 360 days no ce before the date appointed for the elec on.” YPP then sought “An order of the Tribunal nullifying the 16th July, 2022 governorship elec on held in Osun State. “An order of the tribunal nullifying the declaraon of the 3rd Respondent, Adeleke Ademola, as the winner of the said elec“Anon.order of the Tribunal manda ng the 1st Respondent to conduct a fresh governorship elecon in Osun State.”
•Famodun Kazeem Badmus
Zainab AbisolaRemilekun Okejimicontract.Barcelona have put Depay at the top of a growing transfer list as they a empt to reduce their wage bill. The arrival of Lewandowski also means the 28year-old would be limited for game me at the Catalan club this season. million ($57m) for Sterling in July and he has already made his Blues debut, star ng in his side’s 1-0 away win over Everton on the opening day of the Premier League season. F RANCE striker, ofondRealezsurpassedBenzema,KarrimhasGonzal-RaultobecomeMadrid’ssec-highestscorerallme.TheFrenchmanconnuestoclimbthechartsaernet-ngagainstEintra-chtFrankfurtintheUEFASuperCuponWednesdaynight.KarimBenze-mascoredinthesecondhalfofWednesday’s2-0winoverEintrachtFrankfurt,joiningDavidAlabaonthescoresheet.Withthegoal,BenzemasurpassesRaul’smarkof323goals.OnlyCris-anoRonaldohasmorewith450.Benzemahasconnuedtosolid-ifyhisplaceinRealMadridhistory.WithfiveCham-pionsLeague-tles,fourLaLigatrophiesand324goals,BenzemaisnodoubtaniconofSpanishfootball.
YPP Asks Tribunal To Withdraw
For
“The politics and polity playing out in the State of Osun has put All Progressive Congress (APC) in political incarceration from which it needs to be bailed, and then fortified, to be in a good stead to victoriously contest the July 16, 2022 gubernatorial election in the State”
Sterling
7FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 - THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2022 VOL. 17 NO 31
OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guarnaty Trust Bank (GTB), Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun. All correspondence to the Deputy Editor, ISMAEEL UTHMAN, Telephone: 0809-301-9152 or . ISSN: 0794-8050. Website: www.osundefender.com Email: osundefenderbank@gmail.com, osundefemder@yahoo.com Reveals Why He Man City Chelsea Pg.www.osundefender.com, email: osundefenderbank@gmail.com
T HIS postula on, first published here on August 13, 2021, exactly a year ago, is hereby published again due to popular demand. The demand is understandable. Shamelessly playing the innocent vic ms, those that are guilty of nega ve ac ons and inacons in pushing APC into an opposi on Party in the State of Osun are belligerently passing the buck of the avoidable defeat to their actu-al vic ms - the true progressives. The same hypocrisy, selfishness, blindness, deafness, hard heart, vindic veness, poli cal naiveté and empty pomposity that led them on that ruinous poli cal mis-adventure have not departed from them even as there are important poli cal contests right ahead that could begin the ascension of APC back into pinnacle of power in the state and its reten on at the Federal level. For them, however, inclusiveness and reconcilia on are not a democra c or poli cal choice, jeopardising collec ve des ny for egois c and clique interests seems to be their irredeemable calling. However much they try to pass around the blame, the people wield simple but implacable logic, and the truth is clear in the minds of all discerning and well-meaning Nigerians.The poli cs and polity playing out in the State of Osun has put All Progressive Congress (APC) in poli cal incarcera on from which it needs to be bailed, and then for fied, to be in a good stead to victoriously contest the July 16, 2022 gubernatorial elec on in the State. What do I mean? In the runup to the 2018 gubernatorial elec on in the State, some poli cal juggernauts in APC protested an alleged unlevelled playground created by Governor Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola to favour his Chief of Staff, Gboyega Oyetola, emerging as the APC Gubernatorial candidate. Although, Oyetola eventually emerged as the APC candidate in the 2018 party through direct primary, the protest of the stalwarts and their eventual exit from APC jeopardised victory of the party and its candidate in the elec on. The result of the elec on was 254,698 for People Democra c Party (PDP); and 254,345 for APC. That implies that PDP won the first ballot by 353 votes. What eventually snatched victory away from PDP was a rerun: as Independent Na onal Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the elec on inconclusive as a result of disrup on of elec ons and violence in seven different poll-ing units across four Local Government Areas. The affected areas were Ife North, Ife South, Osogbo and Orolu Local Governments. INEC contended that registered number of people de-nied vo ng in the affected areas was 3,498 which is far over and above the difference of 353 with which PDP was ahead of APC; hence, the rerun. At the end of the exercise, the result declared by INEC was 255,505 for APC; and 255,023 for PDP which implies that APC finally turned the table against PDP with 482 votes margin. Not sa sfied with the outcome of the elec- on results, PDP headed to court but APC eventually won at the Supreme Court. This 482 dif-ference is very infinitesimal compared to 101,937 (One hundred and one thousand, nine hundred and thirty seven votes) difference with which APC defeated PDP in 2014 Rauf Aregbesola Sec-ond Term Elec on. This was a period when PDP held sway na onally with federal might used to in midate and harass Osun people including a threat to invade Governor’s official residence. The fact of the ma er is if those APC stalwarts had not le APC, it would have defeated PDP landslide. For instance, Alhaji Moshood Adeo , the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) of Aregbesola le APC to contest for the governor under the pla orm of Ac on Demo-cra c Party (ADP) and garnered 49,744 votes (forty-nine thousand, seven hundred and fortyfour votes). Some members also le for African Democra c Congress (ADC) which also gar-nered 7,681 votes (Seven thousand, six hundred and eightyone votes). All together, those 57,425 votes would have been credited to APC. Again, if the former Speaker of Osun House of Assembly, Rt. Honourable Najeem Salam, who felt short-changed like others had jumped over-board by refusing Governor Aregbesola persuasion to stay with the party, 2018 governorship elec on would have been an automa c victory for PDP as the 14,779 votes delivered by Najeem in Ejigbo Local Government to APC would have gone the other way. This was the situa on with the Osun APC 3 years ago.Although, as at today, all these stalwarts are fully back to APC, the party is engulfed with cri-sis and it is ge ng messier as we coast to July 16, 2022 gubernatorial elec on in the state. Instead of working for peaceful co-existence, consulta on and inclusive engagement with all these stakeholders and caucuses within the party, Governor Gboyega Oyetola has chosen the path of aliena on, hos lity and unprovoked aggression. Apart from his caucus in the party -Ilerioluwa group - he does not want to have anything to do with others. It is one of those things for some-body to be deceived, especially one in the posi on of power, as people around the powerful mainly tell them what they want to hear; it is irra onal and illogical, however, for somebody to be deceiving himself/herself. If the situa on is not radically addressed on me, either of these two will happen. On the one hand, if Oyetola uses his incumbent execu ve power to manipulate the game and emerge as APC candidate for the 2022 governorship elec on without the support and coopera on of other cau-cuses in APC, a worse repeat of 2018 clearly means he will lose the governorship elec on. Win-ning an elec on is not all about money; goodwill and general acceptability play more significant role. On the other hand, if the conglomera on of caucuses in the party succeeds in having an APC gubernatorial candidate other than Governor Oyetola, a lot of yeoman job will be required to win at the elec on as a lot of havocs have been wrecked. Head or tail, APC is in a thorny situ-a on. This situa on in the PDP is unhealthy as well and there is no viable third force that could kick out the two par es at the moment. If the electoral weather is as bleak as this in less than one year to the Osun July 16 governorship elec on, it calls for concern as violence and electoral malprac ces may be the de-terminant factors instead of conducive atmosphere for ci zens to make their choice freely and willing-ly. I want to be op mis c that the shining sun is s ll enough to dry the fabric.
Left
July 16 Osun Governorship Election Postulation
8050-0794ISSN Sports
“If the situation is not radically addressed on time, either of these two will happen. On the one hand, if Oyetola uses his incumbent executive power to manipulate the game and emerge as APC candidate for the 2022 governorship election without the support and cooperation of other caucuses in APC, a worse repeat of 2018 clearly means he will lose the governorship election”
•Oyetola•Famodun
