Pg. 4Osun Likely To Have Normal, Abnormal Rainfall - NiMet FRIDAY, AUGUST 19 - THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 VOL 17 NO 32 Criminal Elements CommercialInfiltratedTransportOperators,OsunGovtRaisesAlarm AltercationsLGProposedElectionSparksInOsunEde OfMin.AccuseHusbandMother,GrievingKillings:OSHALeaderComplicity ADELEKE YET YET TO BE SERVEDBE COUR T PROCESSCOURT •Gov-Elect Jittery, Trying To Frustrate Process – Adegoke, SAN •Oyetola’s Case Dead On Arrival - Alimi Pg Pg.6 4Osun INEC Commissioner Ends 5-Year Tenure INTERVIEW ALERT NEWS Page 5age 5 Page 2age TRIBUNAL2Aregbesola Bags Best Minister of The Year Award Pg. 2 Page 7age 7
T HE Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has been awarded Best Minister of the year 2022. Aregbesola won the award a er polling majority votes to come first among three other ministers nominated for the honour organised by Democracy Heroes Award Africa.The Ministers of Communica on and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami and Finance and Na onal Planning, Hajia Zainab Ahmed, and former Minister of Transporta on, Ro mi Amaechi, were also nominated for the award.Aregbesola had 250 votes while Pantami came close with 240 votes; Amaechi had 170 votes to lead Ahmed who scored 140 votes. The award was presented to the Minister at the Congress Hall, Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, yesterday.
‘Without Mission’ Remilekun Okejimi F OURTEEN northerners have been arrested by the State of Osun Police Command on their way coming into the state in an unregisteredAccordingtruck. to a statement issued by the Police Public Rela ons Officer of the Command, Mrs Yemisi Opalola, in Osogbo on Tuesday, the 14 persons who are all males could not give a reasonable purpose for their coming into the state.The suspects, according to her, were intercepted at the Oke-Odo area of Osogbo, the state capital on Monday around 3:30Opalolapm. disclosed that the intercep on became possible due to informa on via intelligenceThesources.statement also revealed that 12 motorcycles suspected to be stolen were also recovered from them. The statement reads; “Arrest of suspected persons on August 15, 2022 at about 1530hrs upon informa on received that one unregistered truck was conveying some suspected persons from the Northern party of the country to the“Thestate.suspected truck was intercepted by Oke Odo policemen and while a search was conducted, 14 men who could not give reasonable purpose of their coming to the state were “Twelvearrested.(12) suspected stolen motorcycles recovered. “Suspects and exhibits were later handed over to the State CID for discreet inves ga on/ profiling.”
Police Arrest 14 Northerners Who Came To Osun
•Aregbesola with the frame.
The lucky young lady, Bimbo, who escaped from the kidnappers, had narrated how she was abducted by a commercial motorcycle operator in Osogbo, on Tuesday.According to Bimbo in a three minutes video circulated online, she was on her way to Ayetoro area of Osogbo when the incident happened.Shesaid,”
I was going from Happy Quarter area to Ayetoro. I took a bike. As we advanced, a guy stopped the bike and said he was also going to Ayetoro and sat behind me. Immediately, the motorcyclist turned back. “Then, I told the bike man that this is not the way to Ayetoro. The guy si ng behind me threatened and told me to keep quiet. The bike man con nued riding. Suddenly, the bike man stopped and they pushed me into a mini bus (korope) where I met other people suspected to have been abducted.“We began to advance to Ilesa road. On ge ng to an enclosed area, one of them brought out a charm and used it to touch everybody’s“Whenforehead.itgot to my turn, they said I could not go with them that I will make the job difficult for them. Then I was asked how much I had on me. They ransacked me and pushed me out of the bus.“From there, I tried to find my way back to Osogbo. But since then, I have not been myself.”
Yusuf Oketola AA career expert and Chief Execu ve Officer of Nurture House Consul ng, Ayopeju Njideaka, has charged Nigerian women to make use of technology in advancing their careers. Njideaka gave the charge yesterday in Osogbo, capital of the State of Osun, at a day summit organized by the Ibadan Electricity Distribu on Company (IBEDC) to empower women in the power sector.Sheurged the women in the power sector to step out and seek knowledge that can assist their careers, saying that IBEDC has many areas to support the women to achieve greater posi on in their careers.According to her, IBEDC has the pla orms and structures for women to grow, no ng that the women need to go out of their comfort zones to learn.She said: “The focus of today programme is that women should not be limited when we are talking about leadership. The power sector is very well dominated by male, but that does not mean women would not excel in the sector as well. “One of the reasons why women are lagging behind is because they they don’t have opportunity and required empowerment.“However, what we are saying is that, instead of si ng and having the mindset that in this industry, we cannot go beyond a certain stage, we should be posi ve and step out to empower ourselves. We are sure that you will get to the place you’re supposed to be. “We have shared a lot about how women can make progress in their careers and from there, they can get to the peak of their careers.”Speaking, the Head Branding and Corporate Communica ons for IBEDC, Mrs Angela Olarewaju, said that the programme was organized to empower women both in IBEDC and outside the sector.Olarewuju said: “We have this DISCO for women, which is discussing issues surrounding career opportuni es for them because we want our women to be empowered, to have the ambi on, have the know how and every skill required for them to grow.“Everything here is geared towards making women have the necessary skills, the mo vaon, the background and knowledge they require to make their career.”
T H E State Government of Osun has raised the alarm that some criminal elements have infiltrated ranks of the commercial transport operators in the state.The government alerted residents of the state to be more security conscious as they move around, warning them to avoid motorcycle and mini buses without registra on numbers.
Make Use Of Tech. To Enhance Your Career, Expert Charges Women
Osun APC Celebrates Ex-Gov, Lauds Achievements The All Progressives Congress in the State of Osun has congratulated Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on his award as the Best Minister of the Year. “We are not surprised that Aregbesola is honoured as the Minister of the Year. Reason being that he is an added value to President Muhammadu Buhari’s administra on. He has brought produc ve reforms to immigra on, correc onal service, fire service and other agencies under the Ministry of deservederasedlegoodOsunthe“AregbesolaInterior.remainsarchitectofmodernandthelegacyofgovernancehebehindcannotbeinspiteoftheun-andvindicve onslaught on him by his successor.“The Minister has always been having footprint of quality and selfless service, and his goal is to see to a be er society. He is such a rare poli cian that Nigeria needs in the quest to a ain a developed na on. He is just a blessing to Nigeria.“We in the APC congratulate our leader, mentor and benefactor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on his award. It is yet another feat a ained. May he live long in the service to humanity and na on building.”
The APC, in a congratulatory message signed by its fac onal Chairman, Hon. Rasaq Salinsile, on Thursday, said the award is not only well deserved but reconfirmed Aregbesola’s dedica on and passion for na on building, selfless service and delivery of quality leadership.According to Salinsile, such award is not unexpected because Aregbesola has no doubt added value to President Muhammadu Buhari’s administra on through various reforms in Nigerian Correc onal Service, Immigra on, Fire Service and other agencies under the Ministry of Interior.Salinsile said the award is not also surprising because of the legacy of good governance le behind by Aregbesola in the State of Osun, echoing that the Minister is the architect of modern Osun.He said, “Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is a golden fish that has no hiding place. His hard work, quality leadership skill, commitment, passion and dedica on to naon building and a better Nigeria will always stand him out among his peers. Ismaeel Uthman
FRIDAY, AUGUST 19 - THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 2 News
Yusuf Oketola Aregbesola Bags Best Minister Of The Year Award
OSUN DEFENDER noted that the warning came on the heel of the story of a young lady simply known as Bimbo, who narrated how she was kidnapped by some suspected ritualists in Osogbo, the state capital, this week.Ac ng on the viral video of the young lady, the state government directed all transport unions in the state to dispatch their enforcement teams towards ensuring the strict adherence to the safety guidelines and rules laid down by the Ministry of Works and Transport.Inapress statement issued by the state Commissioner for Informa on and Civic Orienta on, Funke Egbemode, on Wednesday, the government said, “The government, through intelligence report, is aware of the infiltra on of the ranks of commercial transport operators in the state by some criminal elements who are now a emp ng to harm unsuspec ng ci zens, using motorcycles and mini-buses (korope) especially. “The video of a young lady making the rounds who was fortunate to escape the plot confirms the report. “We are therefore calling on residents of the state to be more security-conscious as they move around the state, and especially avoid motorcycles, mini-buses or buses without registra on numbers.“Cizens are also advised to report, through the state’s emergency line, all suspicious movements or presence around their communi es or places of residence.“The various transport associa ons are also directed to dispatch their enforcement teams towards ensuring the strict adherence to the safety guidelines and rules laid down by the Ministry of Works and Transport.“Specifically, the Na onal Union of Road Transport Workers is charged not to allow any of its members to be used for nefarious ac vies that threaten the security of the state. “The security formaons of the State have been fully briefed on this new development, and appropriate ac ons are being taken to ensure that these unscrupulous elements do not disrupt the peace of the State.”
Criminal Elements Infiltrated Commercial Transport Operators - Osun Govt Raises Alarm
•Recover 12 Stolen Motorcycles
I N this season of playing on words perhaps we can indulge ourselves by playing on ‘Trust’ a er the unfair five million naira fine imposed on Trust TV a subsidiary of the Daily Trust media group. The fine is unfair for several reasons. For a start it is aforethought. The informa on minister clearly instructed the regulator the Na onal Broadcas ng Corpora on [NBC] as to what to do. The instruc on shows unambiguously that there is nothing ‘independent ‘ about the regulator. This is as unacceptable as it gets in a democracy that should be anchored on freedom of expression and the right to access informa on. Furthermore, the media organs were fined including DSTV without being allowed to state their case thereby nega ng the cons tu onal right to fair hearing..It is my opinion that the fine as well as the glaring absence of due process should be challenged. The cri cal issue here is the manner of democracy we are prac cing. We appear not to be transi ng from a post - military interregnum ‘ semi-democracy’ as The Economist newspaper of London so churlishly put it almost two decades. The fines unfairly put on some media organisa ons goes well beyond the issue of freedom of speech. It is interwoven with the luncompe tuveness of the economy. In the world of today innova on is the key to economic growth and sustainability. And openesss, as well as access to informaon, is key to triggering off the crea vity needed to build a compe ve economy. This cannot be achieved without dismantling the s fling impediments constructed during decades of authoritarian rule by the military.Forstarters, the concept of a ‘Ministry of informa on ‘ is incompa ble with democracy and it must go. Examples abound. In the United Kingdom, the Ministry of informa on was disbanded within three weeks of the end of the second world war. It had been set up as a part of the war effort in the first place. The same thing was replicated throughout much of Europe. The experience of the Nazi occupa on and the use of propaganda as a tool of subjuga on by the occupiers made it clear that there could be no space for state-coordinated propaganda mechanisms in the newly restored democracies.We have to learn from this. The issue should not be about a temporary transient personality. It is about deepening our democracy. We have had all manner of garrulous personali es on the past in par cular during the military interregnum. It should have ended with that era. If we are going to build a compe ve economic format we must have independent ins tu ons of the state. Having ins tuons in a rela onship of subordina on to temporary apparatchiks is not the way to go.Dismantling the Ministry of informa on and what it stands for will be like a democra c spring, a renewal; it will allow the regulators to develop the technical capacity which will come with real independence devoid of ministerial independence to carry out proper regulatory func ons. This is long overdue and should no longer be postponed.Finallywe call for the reversal of the puni ve and unfair fines.
A Charade‘Election’Oyetola’s
OSUN
“It is obviously too late in the day to stop this charade even though there are doubts about its legal validity. A judicial review can be sought but that will take time and it will cost money”
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3 FIRSTPEOPLE FRIDAY, AUGUST 19 - THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022
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•Building independent institutions in a democracy
Governors And The Economy
T WO days ago the heads of the federa ng units were expected to meet in Abuja and amongst other pressing issues discuss the state of the economy. It is coming a er the thirty-three points suggeson earlier proffered on resuscitating the economy. No earth-shaking pronouncements have so far come out of this endeavour. This is not surprising. With elecons taking place next year the poli cal system to use football parlance is now in stoppage me. Whatever sugges ons the governors had should have been tabled a long me ago. It’s all looking very belated now much like being wise a er the event. The inability to be proac ve might be due to living up to to the adage that charity begins at home. Apart from a glaringly defec ve cons tu on which emphasises consump on above produc on the States as federa ng units also have defec ve structures, impediments largely of their own making. The costs of governance at the level of the sub - na onals cannot be jus fied. Everywhere it’s the same established pa ern - duplica on, wastage and bureaucra c elephan ses. The poli cal will to do anything about it is clearly not there and for a reason, the poli cal economy is al anchored on maintaining a re nue of apparatchik otherwise termed ‘structures’. This is no longer sustainable as the terms of trade have turned against the ren er economy. Nothing of consequence can be done now but a er next year’s elec on, there must be a reboot based on cons tu onal amendments to go back to a revenue produc ondriven framework. The empirical evidence is unambiguous there is no alterna ve.
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T HIS newspaper set up to “put the people first” did not deploy the power of clairvoyance when a few edi ons ago we made a clarion call that Nigeria at all levels needs a transi on law to guide the change of baton between incoming and outgoing governments. This is commonsense because democracy itself as a result of decades of military interrup ons is yet to be fully solidified. Even countries with long-established democracies such as the USA and Mexico have transion laws and processes to oversee smooth changeovers of administraons. Given the nature of the human condi on as well as the turbulent twists and turns of par san poli cs, this is a sensible precau on. In the absence of a Transi on Law, the chickens have predictably come home to roost in the State of Osun. Nothing manifests this more than calling a local government elecon in the twilight hours of the lacklustre government headed by AdeboyegaOyetola’sOyetola.order of priority is revealing. Neither opportunity costs or costs and benefits can possibly just a local government elec on now. Elec ons costs money and all of the sub-na onals in this country are facing excrucia ng fiscal strait jackets and the State of Osun is not an excep on. It is doub ul that there is an appropria on in the current budget to back the elec on, let alone jus fy financial expenditure on this exercise.It is obviously too late in the day to stop this charade even though there are doubts about its legal validity. A judicial review can be sought but that will take me and it will cost money.Oyetola’s ‘elec ons’ should be boyco ed and deprived of legi macy. The process is self-serving, fiscally reckless, and indicates a disdain for democra c values. With this in mind, we reiterate once again our demand for transion laws at all levels to guide and guard our democracy which itself is s ll developing. KANMII A D Y ADEMILUYII
B BYY K A N M
T RADITIONAL Religion Worshippers Associa on in the State of Osun has called on journalists in the state and Nigeria at large to do more inves ga on on money ritual and other related cases, charging them to follow it to the end.The associa on made the call through its President, Dr. Oluseyi Atanda, while appearing on Rave FM’s Frank Talk programme in Osogbo, on Tuesday, as part of ac vi es marking this year’s IseseAtandaDay. said money ritual cases are not only peculiar to tradi onal religion worshippers, saying it cut across all religions.Hesaid, “In my 40year of studying Ifa, I have not come across any Ifa verse that supported money ritual Yusuf Oketola and like many people believe, the case of money rituals is not only peculiar to tradional religion worshippers.“We have heard many cases of pastors and Muslim clerics involving in the case and when they are arrested, the media will just report. At the end of the day, you won’t hear anything anymore. “The society can only be aware of such evil ac vi es and those involved if only the media reported and do more follow up on the case.“But, how will the society get to know the end of such case when the media decided to remain silent on them?“That is why we are saying for money ritual, we need involvement of the media. Once there is a case, please follow it to the le er. If they say it is a tradi onalist that is involved, follow it to the le er. “If you find such person, why can’t you go back to see his town and do more invesga ve journalism? Let stop this brown envelope journalism. Ifa never supported such act. Whoever does money ritual will also die. If you kill, you will be killed.”
T HE Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted that the State of Osun is likely to witness normal and abnormal rainfall in August, September and October this year.Director-General of the agency, Professor Mansur Matazu, stated this while addressing newsmen at NiMet’s headquarters, Abuja, on Tuesday. Other states predicted Kazeem Badmus Yusuf Oketola to likely have normal and abnormal rainfall within the same period are Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, and parts of Eki and Edo. The agency also predicted excessive rainfall in the northern states of Katsina, Borno, Sokoto, Kano, Jigawa, Gombe, Yobe, Bauchi andAccordingAdamawa, to Matazu, parts of Kebbi, Zamfara, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Taraba, and Yobe states face a medium risk of experiencing flooding within the same T HE Resident Electoral Commissioner of Independent Naonal Electoral Commission (INEC) in the State of Osun, Prof. Abdulganiy Raji, has bided farewell to the commission a er the expira on of his five years tenure.Raji who had previously served as REC in Eki State, only spent 10 months in Osun where he oversaw the last governorship elec on. He completed his tenure on Monday having been appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2017.Ina programme organised to celebrate him on Monday, all members of staff were full of praisperiod.While normal rainfall condi ons are expected in Kaduna, Adamawa, Oyo and parts of Gombe and Ondo state, the NiMet’s DG noted that the South-South and South-East states of Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Abia, Imo, Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu were likely to witness normal to below normal rainfall condi ons in the next threeHemonths.calledon state and na onal emergency management agencies to intensify adapta on, mi ga on and response mechanisms, just as he enjoined states experiencing varying degrees of flood episodes to “begin their awareness campaigns through field extension workers for possible response ac vi es, especially at high-risk areas.”
Osun INEC Commissioner Ends 5-year Tenure
E XPECTATIONS are high on the performance of the Governorelect of the State of Osun, Sen, Ademola Adeleke who is going to take the mantle of leadership of the state on November 27, 2022. Former Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning of the state, Dr. Wale Bolorunduro has assured the people that Adeleke’s administra on would op mally perform to their expecta ons and deliver on his campaign promises.Bolorunduro, in an interview with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, said Osun is very safe in Adeleke’s hand because he will do things that will engender development of the people and society at large.According to him, Adeleke would stop the ‘financial hemorrhaging’ of the state in the hands of consultants and foreign contractors. He added that the Governor-elect would implement his 5-point agenda which includes empowerment for the youths and impact the educa onal sectors through school infrastructure renewals and improvements. The ex-commissioner added that Adeleke will also block the revenues leakages in key economic sectors and improve professionalism of civilHeservants.said, “Osun is very safe in the hand of Adeleke because he will do things that will engender development of the people and Osun society. This will include infrastructures on need basis and other social services.“Adeleke is not building any new name or looking for new monies. He have a dynasty that started from their father, to their brothers, sisters and sons. They promote honesty and so will look for honest people to work with them.” He added that Adeleke will increase the revenues of the state, create breathing space in monthly debt service and pay a en on to workers, pensioners and make the local economy feel the impacts of government.Speaking on his defecon to the Peoples Democra c Party (PDP), Bolorunduro said his former party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is a cultlike pla orm with servitude tendency.“Unlike my former party (APC), PDP Osun recognises its people and leaders; it’s more inclusive and not decei ul. It doesn’t destroy the people who are progressive-minded and gives them room to grow unlike the cult -like servitude tendency in APC Bolorunduro,Osun.”
•Says Oyetola Haunted By His Conscience
FRIDAY, AUGUST 19 - THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 4 NewsNews Ismaeel Uthman Adeleke Will Stop Osun’s Financial Hemorrhaging - Ex-Finance Commissioner
Worshippers
The Nimet DG also called for the implementa on of measures to prevent mudslide disasters by relevant authori es, especially in the SouthEast.Matazu, while acknowledging the place of tradi onal weather forecas ng with a degree of accuracy, however, ruled out claims of possible rainfall through witchcra He blamed the negligence of hydrological and meteorological informa on provided by the agency for most of the environmental disasters, par cularly flooding experienced in some parts of the country recently.
•L-R: PDP Chieftain, Alhaji Muniru Raji (3rd left), Representative of Mrs. Dupe Adeleke-Sanni, Alhaja Hauwa Ahmed, Engr. Raji Kehinde (Araj), his wife, during the commissioning of a borehole donated to Isalẹ Osun community to mark Kehinde’s 50th birthday, recently.
es to the outgoing REC, for always priori sing their welfare during his stay in the TheyState.described him as someone who removed the tag of inconclusiveness from Osun elec on. In his goodwill message, a special guest at the programme, Prof. Daudu Naibi, described Raji as a man of impeccable character, sta ng that the good he did will live a erInhim.his apprecia ve speech, Raji thanked the staff and every well-wishers, sta ng that he was overwhelmed by their display of love and support. He said all his achievements were possible as a result of the support he enjoyed from all staff and management.
Osun Likely To Have Normal, Abnormal Rainfall - NiMet
He concluded, “Oyetola is haunted by his conscience. He has demonstrated complete opposite of Omoluabi ethos by deceit to love Ogbeni’s programmes and government only to disowning •Atanda the man and his legacies having assumed office. He is hounded by the facts that he got the substan al benefits of contrac ng and consultancy businesses of government; he is petrified that he recommended half salary as the Chairman of govt-labour commi ee; he is terribly hurt that he lost elec on as incumbent governor despite his “lord of manor” poli cal disposion.”
Do Follow Up On Ritual Cases, Traditional Charge Journalists
while commen ng on Governor Adegboyega Oyetola’s administra on, said, “Oyetola ran an administra on that was not prepared for governance despite his eight years as Chief of Staff “They were slow, corky, proud, selfish and greedy. There was this posture of everything and everybody should defer to us, run a er us and beckon before us. There was this ins tu onal feeling, which is an aberraon in democracy and lack of inclusiveness, strange in poli“Hiscs. morbid hatred for Aregbesola and possible legacy distracted his administra on. Oyetola listens and acts on rumours so much that he wasted a lot of me listening to his sycophants and lapdogs, many of whom are paper weight poli cians, with inconsequen al poli cal values.”
•Abideen Olalekan
•Tunde Olalekan
•Silifat Olalekan
•Kafayat Olalekan
Silifat Olalekan is the grieving mother of Abideen Olalekan who was allegedly killed by police on the order of Minority Leader of the State of Osun House of Assembly, Hon. Kofoworola Adewumi, after a misunderstanding between some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at Ward 1, Oloba Atapara, Ede, Ede North Local Government of the State of Osun, on Friday, August 5, 2022. Mrs Olalekan is also the mother in-law to Kafayat Olalekan, who was also killed by unknown people during the crisis. Her son, Tunde Olalekan otherwise known as Tunde Elemo is the husband of the four-month old pregnant nursing mother, Kafayat. Though Hon. Kofoworola Adewumi had denied all the allegations levelled against him on the crisis in our previous edition, we find it necessary to report the accounts of every key actor in the crisis, and present the case to the court of public opinion. Hence, these interviews.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 19 - THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 5InterviewInterview
How did the crisis that led to the killing of your wife and se ng of your family house ablaze happen? On Friday, August 5, we were at the junc on when some people came to call me that Akogun’s driver was harassing my mother at the ward mee ng. My mother is a strong PDP member in this Ward 1, Oloba Atapara, Ede, Ede North Local Government of the State of Osun. When I got to the mee ng, I met the driver and alterca ons ensued between the two of us but we later se led the ma er. The Minority Leader of the House of Assembly, Hon. Kofoworola Adewumi, the Akogun of Ede himself called the police and they came to se le the ma er for usAkogunpeacefully.drove out of the mee ng and not long a er that, we saw some special policemen coming to the area with two vehicles. The policemen were wearing blue jackets. I can iden fy all of them. We were all surprised when they dropped from the vehicles. Surprisingly, Akogun came down from his car and told the police officers to shoot everybody and they started shoo ng sporadically. We picked about five expended bullets. One of the policemen directly shot my elder brother, Abideen Olalekan, a bricklayer and supporter of the Peoples Democra c Party (PDP). The police and Akogun went away with my brother’s corpse and since then, we do not know where the corpse is. We were grieving and making contacts on how to get the police and Akogun to release my brother’s corpse at our family house when I heard that some youths have gone to set Akogun’s parents’ house ablaze. I was not part of the people that went to torch the house. Anybody that claimed to see me there should come out with evidence. Late in the night, we saw some police officers with different vehicles and some thugs. They were with different types of guns and I was wondering if they were police officers or not because they were not wearing any uniform. They started shoo ng sporadically again. So, I quickly rushed down to our family house and could not find anybody there. The house had been set ablaze. I could not find my wife who was nursing a child and was four-month old pregnant as well. “As I was trying to gather my boys, we got to the main road and we met some soldiers who told us to go back to our various houses because some intruders have come into the community and they were shoo ng. One of the soldiers told me he collected a child from one honourable; he showed me the picture of the child and it came out to be my daughter. I went to the police sta on and my child was there. Unfortunately, when we got back home, I met my wife dead at the junc on. The police took her corpse away. Since then, I have not seen the corpse of my brother and wife ll date. “If the government will not intervene or give the right judgment and Akogun goes unpunished, it means that there is no jus ce; and government will be encouraging jungle jus ce. Akogun killed my brother and wife and he is s ll walking freely in the community. I am pleading with the government to help us get jus Beforece. the July 16 governorship elec on, Akogun asked me destroy all the campaign banners and billboards of APC in our street. I told him I could not do that. He offered me N50,000 but I insisted I could not do it. To discourage him, I asked him to give me N1,000,000. Akogun went behind me to meet my boys on the same assignment but they directed him to me. Since then, he has been threatening me and vowed to kill me before his own elec on. Now, he has succeeded in killing my pregnant wife and my brother. The government should please help me. her husband. It was ge ng late and there was pandemonium everywhere. Later in the night, some people told us not to sleep at our house because some people might come to a ack us there. I was reluctant to leave the house but other people persuaded me and I le . We were hanging around the compound when some thugs came and started shoo ng. They eventually set my house on fire. Before that me, we had been looking for my son, Tunde’s wife, Kafayat. When Rukayat was at the police staon, she called that a soldier brought Azeenat, Kafayat’s daughter to the sta on. She said the baby was stained with blood. We were all out looking for her mother. We were told Akogun brought another set of policemen, OPC members and thugs to our area and they were shoo ng sporadically. Later, we found Kafayat’s lifeless body at Atapa junc on. She was shot on her breast. Akogun killed my son and my daughter-in-law who was pregnant. He turned me into an empty person. I don’t have anyone. I am appealing to the government and the people of Osun State to help fight my case. I have been the one taking care of my children since their father died. Now, those in power are killing them one a er the other. They have been threatening to kill the rest of my children. I am calling on all human rights organisa ons to come to my aid.”
It is unfortunate that things like this is happening to me from Akogun, the minority leader of the House of Assembly. I am among the PDP delegates that rallied round Akogun during the House of Assembly primary. What happened is that some amount of money was given to us by the PDP leadership to celebrate the victory of Sen. Ademola Adeleke a er the governorship elec on. As we learnt, the money was with Akogun. On our Ward mee ng day, Friday, August 5, members of the party asked the Ward Chairman about the money but he didn’t give them a favorable answer. Some of the youths whom I convinced to work for the success of the party in the last elec on turned to me, asking if I knew about it. I said no and I turned to Akogun to ask about the money. Akogun stood up and said he had already spent the money. I told him he shouldn’t have done such since the money was meant for the ward and his reelec on is coming up soon. I asked the ward chairman if he knew about the money. As the chairman was about to stand up, Akogun’s driver, Nureni, stood up and slapped one of the boys agita ng for the money. A fight ensued and I, with other members at the mee ng, separated them. A er that, we con nued our mee ng. Not long a er that, some police officers from Pere Police sta on came around and when they arrived, they told Akogun that the atmosphere was peaceful unlike what he told them. The police officers le a er that. We later ended the mee ng and everybody went on his or her own way. We were at the Atapa junc on when Akogun came with some policemen. The police officers wanted to arrest my daughter, Rukayat Olalekan. His brother, my eldest child, Abideen who was coming from his bricklaying work wanted to intervene but he was shot immediately by one of the policemen. It was Akogun that told the police officers to shoot him. I dragged the officer who shot him with tears; the other police officers were telling him he should have shot into the air. Akogun asked the police officer to carry Abideen’s corpse and they le Later, Rukayat was asked to report at the Pere Police Sta on and she went with
Ede Killings: Grieving Mother, Husband Accuse OSHA Min. Leader Of Complicity
How did the crisis that led to the killing of your son and daughter inlaw happen?
M RS motherAteneye,Rachealtheof the missing student of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Victor Sunday contravened Sec ons 419 and 390(9) of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Vol. II, Laws of Osun State, 2002, according to the police. But the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against him.Applying for the bail of the accused person, Defence counsel, K.S Abioye, prayed the court to admit the defendant to bail on liberal term, noting that he would provide reliable
Mother Of Missing OSPOLY Student Slips Into Coma A45-year-old car dealer, Musbau Akanbi, has been remanded in Ilesa Correconal Centre by an Osogbo Magistrate Court for allegedly duping a police inspector and two others of the sum of N13.3m. Akanbi was said to have fraudulently obtained the sum Inspector Folarin Adekunle on the pretence of assis ng him to purchase a car. The defendant was also accused of receiving a Venza Car, 2012 Model valued N4,000,000 and the sum of N5,050,000 from one Musliyu Ademola on the pretence of assis ng him to sell the car.He was also accused of fraudulently obtaining a sum of N4,000,000 from one Oluwafemi Ogungbemi on the pretence of assis ng him to purchase a Toyota Camry, 2011Themodel.defendant was arraigned before the court on Wednesday on six count-charge bordering on fraud and the According to the charge sheet obtained by OSUN DEFENDER, Akanbi commi ed the offence between the month of March and August, 2022 in Osogbo.Thealleged offence
T WO siblings, Adeniyi Adesoye (27), Sunday Adesoye (24) and one Opelusi Dolapo (27) have been remanded in Ilesa Correc onal Centre by an Osogbo Magistrate Court for allegedly stealing a sum of N444,000 with stolen Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards. The Adesoyes and Dolapo were dragged before the court on a seven count-charge bordering on conspiracy, the , fraud and unlawful possession of ATM on Monday. Police prosecutor, Inspector Bose Soyemi, told the court that the defendants allegedly conspired to steal the ATM cards and used them to withdraw a total sum of N444,000. Soyemi said the accused persons commi ed the offence on August 9, 2022 at about 7:00pm at Guaranty Trust Bank, Stadium Area, Osogbo. The charge reads in parts, “That you Adeniyi Adesoye, Opelusi Dolapo and Adesoye Sunday on the 23rd day of May, 2022 at GT Bank, Stadium Area, Osogbo did conspire to defraud by withdrawing the cash sum of N241,000:00k only from one Omotayo Janet’s GTB Account NO. 0035640137 without her consent“That you Adeniyi Adesoye, Opelusi Dolapo and Adesoye Sunday on the 22nd day of July, 2022 at GT Bank Stadium Area, Osogbo in the Osogbo Magisterial district did conspire to defraud by withdrawing cash sum of 203,000:00k only from one Wahab Saheed’s GTB Account NO. 0591738437 without his levelledguiltyhowever,State34,of215,venedecutor,Accordingconsent.”tothepros-theoffencecontra-Secons516,428,422,383(1),and422theCriminalCode,CAPVol.II,LawsofOsunofNigeria,2002.Theaccusedpersons,pleadednottotheallegaonsagainstthem.
2022journedCorrecantderedOlusegunsidingbeforeoffraudeddefendanttorarrested.vicofgun,ed.forepolicejumpthatbailgun,prosecutor,However,surety.thepoliceElishaOluse-objectedtheoralapplicaon,claimingthedefendantmightbailasittookthesomeeffortsbe-hewasapprehend-AccordingtoOluse-thepoliceusedonetheaccusedperson’smbeforehecouldbeThepoliceprosecu-alsoclaimedthatthehadalsode-threeothervic-mswhowerenotpartplainffsinthecasethecourt.Inhisruling,thepre-Magistrate,Dr.Ayilara,or-thatthedefend-beremandedinIlesaonalCentre.Thecasewasad-llAugust24,forruleonbail
•Alert! A bad portion of road seeking urgent government attention at Prime area of Osogbo, capital of the State of Osun. Photo: Shola Aderinto. them find the student, sta ng that his disappearance has unse led theSpeakingfamily. with OSUN DEFENDER in a telephone conversaon yesterday, the student’s father, Mr. Daisi Ataneye, said his wife slipped into coma on Wednesday.Hesaid, “Sunday’s mother is now very sick and she is currently in coma. Please help me call on to the school management, government and the en re public to help me find Sunday.”•Sunday.
Ataneye, has reportedly slipped into coma a er falling sick as a result of her missing son. Sunday Ataneye, a final year student of Civil theandthe26,ingmissingwhenHostel,residingagoclaredDepartment,Engineeringwasde-missing24daysbyhisfamily.ThestudentwasatNewCityLadoja,Igaa2,hewasdeclaredwhilereturn-toschoolonJuly2022fromOwena.Thefamilycalledonstategovernmentmanagementofpolytechnictohelp
FRIDAY, AUGUST 19 - THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 6 News •Gov-Elect Jittery, Trying To Frustrate Process – Adegoke, SAN •Oyetola’s Case Dead On Arrival - Alimi Tribunal: Adeleke Yet To Be Served Court Process – Investigation Siblings, One Other Remanded For Withdrawing N444,000 With Stolen ATM Card
Kazeem Badmus Car Dealer Lands In Prison For Allegedly Defrauding Police, 2 Others In Osogbo
David Osundeyi Folaranmi Ajayi Fourteen days a er Governor Adegboyega Oyetola approached the elec on pe on tribunal to challenge the victory of the winner of the July 16 governorship poll, Senator Ademola Adeleke, the Court Process is yet to be served on the Governorelect, inves ga ons have revealed.However, respondent in the case - the Independent Na onal Electoral Commission (INEC) and Peoples Democra c Party (PDP)have been served the court process.Inves ga ons revealed that as at the me of filing this report yesterday, the bailiff of the tribunal was unable to effect the service of the process on Adeleke. OSUN DEFENDER gathered that Oyetola, through his legal counsels, has filed an applica on for subs tuted service on Adeleke. Oyetola had on Friday, August 5, filed a pe on to the tribunal, asking the panel to nullify Adeleke’s victory on the ground that the elec on was fraught with certain irregulari es. The Governor asked the tribunal to nullify elec on in 749 polling units where Adeleke won for alleged irregulari es. The Governor said that Adeleke ought not to have been declared winner as he was not qualified to par cipate in the elec on in the first place, alleging that the Governor-elect submi ed forged cer ficate to INEC. INEC had on July 17, 2022 declared Adeleke winner of the elec on, having polled 403,362 to defeat Oyetola who scored 375, 027Sincevotes.the submission of the pe on to the tribunal at the State High Court Complex in Osogbo, OSUN DEFENDER gathered that all effort to serve the court process on Adeleke has beenAdelekefruitless.is the third respondent in the case. Commen ng on the ma er, one of the lead counsels to Oyetola, Mr Kunle Adegoke, SAN, accused Adeleke of deliberately evading the service of the process, saying the Governor-elect was trying to buy me on the case. According to Adegoke, evading the court process service is just a way by Adeleke to frustrate Oyetola’s case, saying that he is already ji ery of the quality of the pe on and volume of evidence before the tribunal to upturn his victory. Ismaeel Uthman Adegoke who spoke with OSUN DEFENDER in a telephone said: “It is true that we are yet to serve Adeleke the copy of the peon. He is trying to evade service. The first me they went to his house to serve him, he absconded alongside his brother. He le immediately without collecting the “Sincedocument.then,they have not been able to serve him the pe on. But we have filed an applica on on that regard. We are asking the tribunal to grant subs tuted service and once that is granted, he will be served through any legal means. “Adeleke is trying to frustrate the case. Probably he might be ji ery going by the content of the pe on and the available evidence to upturn his victory. We can read from the terrain and ac vi es that definitely they want to frustrate the commencement of the tribunal process. But that is not possible. They are just was ng their me. It is a proceeding that has meline which nobody can do anythingSpeakingabout.”with OSUN DEFENDER, Barr. Kolapo Alimi, the Deputy Director General of Adeleke’s Campaign Organisa on, dismissed Adegoke’s submission that the Governor-elect is ji ery and a emp ng to frustrate the tribunal process. Alimi, who also confirmed that Adeleke was yet to be served the court process, said the Governor-elect was not open to unknown people and anybody from All Progressives Congress (APC) and its extrac on for security reasons. The legal prac oner said, “It is true that the Governor-elect has not been served and it is not about being ji ery or frustra ng the process; it is because of security reasons. They were unable to serve him personally for security reason.“If they are accusing Adeleke of buying me and frustra ng the process, why did they wait ll the 20th day a er the elec on to pe on the tribunal when the law gives just 21 days? Why did they wait ll a day to the closure of the legal opportunity before filing the pe on? Are they also frustra ng their own case? “Their case is dead on arrival. There is nothing in their case to be ji ery or worried about. There is nothing in the pe on. All their claims in the pe on are “Theyflimsy. claimed there is over-vo ng in some polling units. If there is anywhere that there is over vo ng, it should be in Boripe local government. APC won with 4763 in the local government in 2018. How come it now led with over 14,000 votes this me around? “Oyetola is the person ji ery. It is part of his jittery that is making him to be planning to conduct local government elec on. He once said there is no money to conduct the elecon, but he is now ready to spend over N1billion for the local government elecon. That is ji ery.”
P OPULAR Nollywood director, Kunle Afolayan, has released the trailer of his latest producon,The‘Anikulapo’.moviewill be screened on Ne lix on September 30, which incidentally is E X BEAUTY queen, Beauty Tukura, has revealed that she cried severally a er her disqualifica on from the ongoing Big Brother Nigeria season 7 reality TV show. Tukura was sent out of the compe on a er ge ng into a physical alterca on with a fellow housemate, Groovy, just two weeks into the show. Earlier in the show, she was given a strike by Biggie a er ge ng into a shou ng match with another housemateInIlebaye.aseries of tweets shared on Wednesday, the 2019 Miss Nigeria winner reminisced on ge ng the good news that she was chosen as a contestant for the show, and how she nurtured hopes for winning. She said: “When I learned I was accepted into the Big Brother Naija season 7 house, I was the happiest person on earth. It felt like the world was my oyster, and I was excited for a chance to play the game, while remaining true to my authen c self. Babatunde
Entertainment
fied. It’s been more than a week out of Big Brother’s house, and this period has afforded me the much-needed me and space to reflect on my ac ons.” Sta ng that she “cried for days” following her disqualifica on, Beauty also expressed her regrets for failing her fans. Tukura apologised to the organisers of BBNaija as well as the Miss Nigeria organisers, whom she claimed followed up to ensure she got the needed help after the incident.
•Oladitan servant in OSIEC, I’m to listen to what I’m directed to do. The cost does not concern me. My duty is to do things in accordance with the law that created the commission.“Wehave been preparing for the elec on since the day we were sworn in. A lot of things have been done in prepara on for the elec on long before now. “The Cons tu on says that our commission should conduct an elec on; and the state assembly has asked the commission, along with the cons tu onal provision, to conduct an elec on. “My primary concern is total obedience to the cons tu on of Nigeria. Every other reading outside that is poli cal which this commission is not concerned with. Why must I be worried that I have been asked to perform a cons tu onal duty which we were inaugurated for?” PDP Accuses OSIEC Chairman Of Playing To The Gallery However, the PDP has insisted that the elec on would not hold, accusing the OSIEC chairman of playing to the gallery of the APC.The Secretary of the Legal Commi ee of the PDP, Ashim Abioye, while speaking with newsmen yesterday stated that the OSIEC chairman is ac ng contrary to what the law and Electoral Act s pulated. Abioye maintained that conduc ng the elec on is tantamount to was ng the resources of the state, adding that it will be nullified by the court of Speakinglaw.further, Abioye disclosed that the party had already pe oned the Inspector General of Police and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission to look into the ma er to forestall break down of law andHisorder.words, “The OSIEC chairman is playing the piper of the APC and gravita ng towards illegality and criminality because the Cons tu on of the Federal Republic of Nigeria gave the Na onal Assembly and the State House of Assembly power to make laws for the conduct of Local Government elec ons. “OSIEC law conflicts with the laws made by the Na onal Assembly and it is, therefore, null and void. A state’s independent electoral body is independent to the extent of its dependency on “FromINEC.the ‘word go’, the processes and procedures that OSIEC wants to adopt are faulty and criminal. It was clear from the no ce published by OSIEC that it was a haphazard arrangement.“Sec on of the Electoral Act states that any official of a state electoral body that acts contrary to the provision of the electoral act has commi ed a crime. “I’m confident the IGP will act because failure to do so, there could be a likelihood of breaking law and order and I tell you the IG and EFCC will act. “Apart from the IGP and EFCC, there are ma ers in court. This is a ma er of urgency and public interest. The public order and sanity are being called to ques on here and I think the court will give it expedi ous determina on”. hisThebirthday.movie stars Kunle Remi as ‘Anikulapo’ and it is a myscal folklore drama revolving around the life of Saro, a young zealous man seeking for greener pasture in the great Oyo eventsHowever,Kingdom.unfoldingandhisillicit
Poll Cons tu onalOSIEC Chair Meanwhile, the OSIEC Chairman Segun Oladitan, has disclosed that the body will be spending about N500 million naira to conduct the elecOladitan,on. while featuring on Rave Fm’s ‘Frank Talk’ on Wednesday, said the commission is protected by law on the conduct of the elec on, dismissing the PDP’s claim that he is only doing the bidding of the incumbent governor. He said, “OSIEC is only Kazeem Badmus doing what it is supposed to do under the law. The local government elec on is within the ambit of the law.”Asked on the cost of the elec on, Oladitan said, “As of now, we are looking at maybe half a billion. I always want to run away from cost. What I’m always concerned with is what people want. We should not sacrifice the people’s desires at the alter of cost.“I’m the people’s servant and as the people’s
PUBLICATION MRS. AYODELE SHUKURAT OPEYEMI That I was formerly known and addressed as MISS SALIU SHUKURAT OPEYEMI Now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. AYODELE SHUKURAT OPEYEMI All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 19 - THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 7News
Anuoluwapo OwolabiTolulope
Proposed LG Election Sparks Altercation In Osun
“The 7th of August, 2022 was and s ll a day I’ll always live to remember. While I went into the house with the posi ve mindset of winning and making everyone proud, my goals were cut short due to some behaviours I exhibited, ul mately leading to my disqualifica on. “No one goes in with the inten on of being disqualiaffair with the king’s wife, Arolake leads to his un mely death and encounter with Akala, a mys cal bird believed to give and takeThelife.film also stars Sola Sobowale, Hakeem K. Kazeem, Kunle Remi, Bimbo Ademoye,lerunandFilmshotlapo’thisdebutsAfolayanterTheAdepoju.andOlayiwola,lami,bayologun,FathiaHassan,TaiwoBa-Ade-Sa-MojiKareemdaugh-ofKunleinfilm.‘Aniku-wasatKAPVillageResortbyKun-Afolayan.
Kunle Afolayan Releases Trailer Of New Movie ‘Anikulapo’ BBNaija: I Cried For Days After Disqualification – Beauty
T HE proposed local government elec on scheduled to hold on October 15, 2022 has been genera ng controversies and sparking alterca ons between poli cal actors, among which are Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC), All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democra c Party (PDP), who have been trading words over the elecon.OSIEC had, on Monday, released me table for the elec on amidst cri cism from PDP and some members of the Chairmanpublic.ofthe commission, Otunba Segun Oladitan, disclosed that the electoral body might spend half a billion naira for the elecBothon. the ruling APC and the PDP have been trading words over the legality of the conduct of the elec on. While the APC and OSIEC insist on the elec on, PDP has dissociated itself from it, describing it as illegal and efforts in fu lity.
Don’t Destabilize Osun Over LG Poll - APC Tells PDP In one of its reac ons to the controversies on the LG poll, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has cauoned Peoples Democra c Party (PDP) to stop its threat to plunge the state into an avoidable crisis over the conduct of the local government elec on. In a statement issued by Mr Kola Olabisi, on behalf of the State Chairman of the party, Prince Gboyega Famodun, the APC says it frowns at the series of threats by the PDP. The APC reminded the PDP that Governor Gboyega Oyetola is s ll enjoying the protec on of the cons tuon as the subsis ng bonafide Governor of the state and would not allow any irritant to dictate to him how to run his government within the s pulated four-year. The party stated that the use of self-help has no nexus with a democra c ins tu on, explaining that OSIEC as a corporate body can sue and be sued by anyone or a corporate body which has an ax to grind with it.
Palladium’s Self-contradiction
On Aregbesola And Osun election
•Gov. Oyetola
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 Car Dealer Lands In Prison For Allegedly Defrauding Police, 2 Others In Osogbo Pg. 6FRIDAY, AUGUST 19 - THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 VOL. 17 NO 32 www.osundefender.com, email: osundefenderbank@gmail.com 8050-0794ISSN Crime FASURESOLABY PERSPECTIVE
“Governor Oyetola, out of hubris and political naivety, took defeat from the jaws of victory, literally gifting PDP the election.
The seeds of the factors that culminated in the defeat of the governor were sown before his election in 2018, but instead for him to uproot them after his inauguration, he began to nurture and water them, until they bore him the fruits of his routing”
Mr Akinlotan reminds me of the story of Joseph Stalin calling his successor, Nikita Khrushchev, on his sick bed in 1953. He warmly told him of the three notes he was leaving for him and a direc ve to open the notes only when he got into serious crises. He opened the first note few years later when he got into his first crisis. It read ‘Blame everything on Stalin’. Then later he got into a more serious crisis and opened the second note which also read ‘Blame everything on Stalin’. When he got into the third and very ferocious crisis, he opened the third envelop which this me read ‘Prepare three envelops’. The elec on was Oyetola’s third ‘very ferocious crisis’. Mr Akinlotan sounds bi er, angry and inconsolable over the loss in Osun, reading the main piece, as he projected a thinly veiled parsanship in a fight in which he had (or should have) no dog. He, no doubt, is unhappy at an outcome that vindicated Aregbesola in a bizarreSomeway. people were bi erly disappointed that Adeleke won, meaning Aregbesola and his supporters were not disgraced on the outcome of this elec on. They had wished that Governor Oyetola would win and except Aregbesola came back to them, begging on all four, he would be consigned into permanent poli cal irrelevance. The loss of Governor Oyetola has affirmed the legi macy of Aregbesola and his supporters, to their chagrin.Palladium will now fall into this category and I don’t think he has done himself or his literary reputaon any bit of good at all.
Iread Palladium’s second instalment on the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, a er the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s candidate, the incumbent governor of Osun, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, predictably lost the governorship elec on of July 16 to the People’s Democra c Party (PDP). It is not fla ering at all. The author is unpreten ous in his mission of inci ng the APC leadership against the minister by blaming him for the loss of the state to PDP and worse s ll for an party acvi es. Palladium, at least in his last three columns has been very unkind and mean to Aregbesola, viciously a acking his person in the most intemperate language, exhibi ng a deep-seated animosity towards him. Yet Aregbesola was not a candidate in the elec on. He did not even vote.From his columns, it is clear Mr Akinlotan has a very poor – or no –grasp of the Osun debacle and the self-afflic on responsible for the governor’s loss in the elec on. His main arguments and excoria on of Ogbeni Aregbesola were unapologe cally li ed from the laughable press statement of Mr Gboyega Famodun, the emba led chairman of the APC in the state. But every poli cs is local and except you have a very good grasp of the issues, a columnist runs the risk of looking ordinary, if not stupid, before the actors and those who are knowledgeable on the ma er. I can just imagine how the people of Osun would have reacted, reading Palladium on Sunday August 7, 2022. The loss of Governor Oyetola had been predictable (and predicted) not less than two years ago and had become apparent at least six months before the elec on. Indeed, a week before the polls, it had become inevitable. Though democra c elec ons must have an element of ‘bounded uncertainty’ to be credible, people living in Osun were fairly convinced that Oyetola would lose, except some miracle happened. Governor Oyetola, out of hubris and poli cal naivety, took defeat from the jaws of victory, literally giing PDP the elec on. The seeds of the factors that culminated in the defeat of the governor were sown before his elec on in 2018, but instead for him to uproot them a er his inaugura on, he began to nurture and water them, un l they bore him the fruits of his rou ng. Governor Oyetola wrongly believed that then Governor Aregbesola did not want him to succeed him in 2018 and upon his inauguraon, he began a systema c war of payback. He divided the party into ‘those-for-him’ and others. Government and party offices became the exclusive preserve of members of his Ileri-Oluwa caucus in the party. Others were excluded. He ran an exclusive system in a poli cal party that should be free for all joiners. The alienated members of the party formed a caucus named The Osun Progressives (TOP) in April last year. On May 14, they went to Ogbeni Aregbesola to offer him the chairmanship of the Board of Trustees, which he accepted. So, it wasn’t Aregbesola that formed TOP, but the excluded members of the party. This means that if Aregbesola had supported the governor without him reconciling with the aggrieved members of the party, he would s ll have problem with the elec on. S ll pursuing his exclusive polical agenda, Governor Oyetola rejected all calls and entrea es for reconcilia on. The party’s reconcilia on commi ee came to the state a er the party’s primary elec on was held and listened to both sides, but the governor rejected the demands of TOP for inclusion. The commi ee le in frustra on. So, the veiled attempt to incite the party’s leadership is fu le because they know the local situa on that led to the loss. This much was acknowledged by the party chairman in his reac on to the result.Oyetola pursued exclusive and vindic ve agenda ll the last day before the elec on, supremely confident of victory, without the support of his predecessor and a large segment of his party. He did not consider Aregbesola worthy of being included in his elec on council and he made no effort to contact him for par cipa on in his re-elec on. When Asiwaju came to Osun on the Monday before the elec on and asked the governor’s men on their expecta on, they told him they were sure they would win but what they were working on was to extend the margin of the win. This hubris c and belligerent posturing runs against the grain of party poli cs when candidates approach elec on with a united front. This is a universal prac ce not unique to Nigeria. Donald Trump couldn’t get re-elected in 2020 because he alienated the Bush and the Koch dynases in the Republican Party, concentra ng on his na onalist front. Same happened to Mi Romney, a Mormon, in 2012 when he lost to Barack Obama because the evangelicals stayed away from vo ng for him. Al Gore too lost his presiden al bid to George W. Bush because of his aliena on from Bill Clinton and his group in the Democra c Party. Indeed, a er the narrow win in 2018, Governor Oyetola and his men devised an ingenious argument that Aregbesola’s misgovernance was responsible for the not so stellar performance of the APC in the governorship elec on. This was to discount his contribu on and any posi ve role he played in the elecon. It sounds so curious and a contradic on to, in one breath, accuse Aregbesola of being culpable for the narrow win; and a er aliena ng and figh ng him for nearly four years, to then turn round and blame his nonsupport for the APC candidate as being responsible for the loss to PDP.
•Fasure writes from Osogbo
