Uproar Over APC’S N130,000, NominationN70,000Forms Pg. 5Court Nullifies Appointment Of Olaaresa Of Masifa, Declares Stool Vacant FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 02 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022 VOL 17 NO 34 Pg. 2 Ar Osun RoadsideEnforcesGov’tBanOnTrading Siblings, One Other, Arraigned For Threatening To Kill, Dethrone Osun MonarchPg. 6g. 6 Pg. 4g. 4 Pg. 6g. 6 I Was Shocked People Still Voted For APC In Spite Of Mis-governance In Osun – Omigbodun NEWS CRIMEINTERVIEW •Caretaker Mgt. Chairmen, Members, Others Indicate •ConfusionInterestOverSection 84, 94 Of Electoral Act Family Petitions DIG Over Killing Of Nursing Mother, Bricklayer In Ede Osun LG Election: Pg. 5
However, some poli cal analysts have argued in favour of the APC and members of the caretaker commi ee, sta ng that they were not bounded by the Electoral Act on the ground that the only law needed for the local government elecon is the OSIEC Law. But a legal prac oner, Mr. Johnson Amusan, has urged lawyers arguing for and against the elec on to be warry of Sec on 150 of the Electoral Act, Sec on 4, subsec on 5 of the 1999 cons tu on of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Sec on 150 of the Electoral Act states, “In furtherance of the provision of paragraph 11 of Part II of the Second Schedule to the Cons tu on, the procedure regula ng elec ons conducted by the Commission to Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory under this Act shall be the same
Osun LG Election: Uproar Over APC’s N130,000, N70,000 Nomination Forms
•Commissioning of Seven Gunboats Procured by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, to Fight Oil Theft by Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, at Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Tuesday. Aregbesola Charges NSCDC Officers To Respect Human Rights Kazeem Badmus
“Do we need to educate the PDP handlers that in a decent and real democra c society, the court is always there to adjudicate on any cons tu onal matter?”The APC argued that the direc ve of the PDP is “reckless, misleading, diversionary and unlawful and should be disregarded in its en rety.”
Ismaeel Uthman T HE Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has admonished officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to be firm, but civil while carrying out their du es, bearing in mind the core mandate of the organizaon.Aregbesola said this on Tuesday at the presenta on of report on ‘Standard Curriculum Development For All Civil Defence Training Colleges’ by the Ministerial Commi ee held at the Minister’s Conference Room, Abuja. The Minister, in a release signed by his Media Adviser, Sola Fasure, commended the Commandant General, NSCDC, Abubakar Audi and his management team for congrega ng ideas in a deliberate effort to reposi on the Corps for opera onal Aregbesolaefficiency.inhis remark tled, “For be er training and skills”, said: “Let me par cularly commend the Commandant General for pu ng my words into ac on and to applaud him for the assemblage of dedicated professionals which cut across various fields, with everyone bringing on board his/her wealth of experience and fresh ideas for the a ainment of the set targets which I believe are captured in the final report of the Commi ee. “I must confess that I am impressed by the level of commitment and dedica on displayed by members of the committee and eventual output as elucidated in the commi ee’s report. I have every reason to believe that the curriculum so designed will meet up with the opera onal needs of the“Itcorps.isnoteworthy that the commi ee deemed it fit to visit exis ng Civil Defence Training Colleges to have first-hand knowledge and assessment of current reali es and exis ng facili es in order to determine the cri cal needs required by the colleges to meet up with global standard and further expand its scope to impart the much needed knowledge in personnel.”While no ng that the NSCDC requires a standard curriculum that will serve as a basis for career progression and further development in the service of the corps to further enhance the capacity of each cadre of officers in the discharge of their du es, the former governor of the State of Osun expressed hope that the corps will be able to provide the best educa on and training to its staff The Minister assured the commi ee that government will cri cally study the report presented, including the implementa on strategies, recommenda ons and observed lapses in some of the schools visited, as necessary improvement and adjustment will be effected as appropriate.
T HE All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State of Osun has begun sales of expression of forms for aspirants who are interested in contes ng in the October 15, 2022 local government elec on in the state.The party began sales of the forms on Monday. OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the expression of interest form for a chairmanship aspirant was sold at N100, 000 with an addional N30,000 purportedly as administra ve charges. A councillorship aspirant’s expression of interest form was sold at N50,000 with an addi onal N20,000 administra ve charges. Findings by the medium revealed that majority of the current Caretaker Chairmen in their various local governments and Local Council Development Areas are also interested in contes ng for chairmanship posi on in the elec on. Some members of the party have condemned the sales of the form, describing it as insensi ve to poli cal realiThees.APC members who spoke with OSUN DEFENDER under condi on of anonymity on Wednesday said the party ought to have released the form free of charge to aspirants. They argued that the party should have given the form for free to boost the morale and par cipa on of eligible APC members across the local governments. This is just as some members of the caretaker commi ees at various LGs and LCDAs are vying for councillorship posi ons. However, the APC, as of the me of filing this report, has not released guidelines for the conduct of primary elec ons for both the chairmanship and councillorship aspirants on the elec on that is 42 days away. Sources in the APC told OSUN DEFENDER that the party was in dilemma over the legality of some poli cal appointees, including the caretaker commi ee members, to par cipate in its primaries.Though the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission Law, 2022 is silent on the legality of the polical appointees to par cipate in primaries, the Electoral Act, 2022 demands resignaon before par cipa on in the Secprimaries.on84 of the Electoral Act states, “No poli cal appointee at any level shall be a vo ng delegate or be voted for at the Conven on or Congress of any poli cal party for the purpose of the nomina on of candidates for any elec on.” and apply with equal force as the procedure regulating elec ons conducted to Local Government Areas by any State Commission. Sec on 4, subsec on 5 of the 1999 cons tu on states, “If any Law enacted by the House of Assembly of a State is inconsistent with any law validly made by the Na onal Assembly, the law made by the Na onal Assembly shall prevail, and that other Law shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void.”The Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) had on August 15, 2022 released metable for the conduct of the elecon.In the metable, every poli cal party par cipa ng in the elec on must conduct its primary elec on between August 16 and SeptemberAlso,6.the results of political par es’ primaries are to be submi ed to OSIEC between September 7 and 9. Campaigns by the pares are also to commence on August 16 and end on October 13. OSUN DEFENDER however observes that neither APC nor any other poli cal party has conducted primary elec ons and campaigns in each of the 67 local government and local council development areas. A total of 16 poli cal par es have reportedly indicated interest in par cipa ng in the elec on. However, the medium notes that there is no specific date for the commencement of campaign in the OSIEC law, but the Electoral Act provides for 150 days campaign meline for the conduct of any elec on. Sec on 94 of the Electoral Act states, “For the purpose of this Act, the period of campaigning in public by every poli cal party shall commence 150 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day.” The elec on has been genera ng controversies in the state since Governor Adegboyega Oyetola gave his nod for the conduct of the Thepoll. main opposi on party which won the July 16, 2022 governorship elecon is vehemently opposing the elec on on the ground that it is a waste of state resources.PDP had through its caretaker commi ee chairman, Dr. Akindele Adekunle, sounded a strong warning to OSIEC to desist from allowing the body to be used by the APC and Governor Oyetola.Adekunle said the planned elec on is an effort in fu lity and a deliberate a empt to plunge the state further into financial mess.He stressed further that the exercise will amount to a total illegality in the face of the new electoral law. Adekunle said, “Secon 28 of the Electoral Act, 2022, s pulates that no elec on can hold un l a no ce of 360 days is given to all relevant stakeholders before such elec on. “The Electoral Act also provides, without any room for Mr Oyetola’s kind of dilly dally, in sec on 29, a period of 180 days within which list of candidates must be published.”“There’s no ambiguity in the fact that the period within which the outgoing APC administra on in Osun State is le with, is clearly far less than the period s pulated in paragraphs 28 & 29 of the Electoral Act, 2022. This shows that the proposed elec on was never on the table of the APC government in the state un l they got sacked at the poll by same people the governor and his juvenile team of power drunks had taken for granted for so long.”The APC, however, cauoned PDP on how it reacts to government ac vi es, sta ng that Oyetola has the backing of the cons tuon to run the affairs of the state ll November 26 this year.In one of his reac ons to the PDP, the Osun APC Chairman, Prince Gboyega Famodun, warned the PDP to stop arroga ng to itself the power it doesn’t possess by turning itself into ‘an instructor or pathfinder’ of an independent statutoryInbody.astatement issued by his Media Adviser, Kola Olabisi, on Tuesday, Famodun stressed that the PDP lacks the power or authority to dictate to an independent body like OSSIEC which derives its crea on and existence from the Electoral Act 2022.Famodun said, “If the statement credited to the Osun PDP that the INEC should deny the OSSIEC the updated voters register is anything to go by, it is sugges ve of the fact that the PDP is sponsoring, oiling and encouraging an avoidable hea ng up of the polity in the state.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 02 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022 2 News
During the presentaon, earlier, the Chairman of the Ministerial Commi ee, Professor Suleiman Bala Mohammed, noted that the commi ee’s primary mandate was to develop a suitable and standard curriculum for NSCDC in order to professionalise the corps to meet present and future challenges.
OUTLOOK
A D E M I L U Y ADEMILUYII
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, SEPTEMBER 02 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022
A CCORDING to the rules of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) campaigns for the presiden al elec on slated for February 2023 formally takes off later this month. For a country at a cri cal intersec on, it must be a pivotal game-changing elec on which means it must be based on issues. So far it has been very disappoin ng. Instead of concentra ng on programs as pathways to the future, it has been largely mudslinging as well as infer le indulge.The disappoin ng outing so far is a reflec on of the structural weaknesses of the par es themselves. Put together more like Special Purpose Vehicles to win elec ons, they do not have the ideological founda ons to develop and present detailed programs to the electorate. This is tragic and the country con nues to pay a heavy price for it. Nigeria once had real poli cal par es based on clear philosophical posi ons within this framework; the par es had solid research departments to formulate programs when elected. For example, the eminent writer, Chinua Achebe, was the Director of Research of the Peoples Redemp on Party at the onset of the second republic. Pu ng a man of such interna onal stature in that post reveals just how seriously the par es took the formula on of programs and indeed the art of governance itself. The contrast with today’s tellectualpartmentsparsurprisinglyconglomeratesbooty-sharingisstark.Notnoneoftoday’seshaveresearchde-nottotalkofin-heavyweightsdirec ng them. We have to face the reality of this inadequacy as we insist on an issue-based campaign. There can be no alterna ve for a country facing existen al threats on so many fronts. Whoever is sworn in on the 29th of May 2023 must hit the ground running! There will be breathing space on the security, economic and other fronts. Difficult decisions will have to be taken and executed while maintaining the social cohesion fundamental for democracy. Unfortunately, the country does not today have the sort of poli cal establishment we had in 1962 which admirably forged a na onal democra c agreement which was essen al to maintain the cohesion necessary to implement the “austery measures” of 1962.We must try to rekindle the ethos of that era. The poli cal establishment must not create an illusion about the immediate future; it is going to be hard. They should present detailed costed posi ons now for scru ny as to how we face a very difficult future and come out of painful adjustment stronger.
B BYY K
Publisher – Moremi Publishing House Ltd. Deputy Editor – Ismaeel Uthman Produc on Editor – Petkola Taiwo Ibitowa Reporter – Yusuf Oketola Reporter – Kazeem Badmus
“The country is in dire straits. We must seek solutions by looking at the valiant efforts made in the past by reexamining the thoughts of people like Obafemi Awolowo, Abiola and Aregbesola. It means jettisoning the inadvertent (it is to be hoped) glamorisation of poverty as a political weapon. This must be discarded and replaced in this season with a clear Aregbesola styled “Alternative Perspective “ to break the chains of poverty by tackling the root causes” A N M KANMII
All correspondence to the above email addresses.
The Politics Of Poverty And State Capture with beneficial game changing effects which con nues to resonate. Nearer to now Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola reignited the progressive thrust by placing the role of the state in beneficial social interven on at the center of the poli cal discourse. Aregbesola lived up to the posi on of the Italian poli cal philosopher, Antonio Gramsci, that the clear essence of poli cs is to shi the territory of the discourse in the direc on of one’s own posi on. Aregbesola redirected both thought and prac ce and has deservedly earned a posi ve place in history.The country is in dire straits. We must seek solu ons by looking at the valiant efforts made in the past by reexamining the thoughts of people like Obafemi Awolowo, Abiola and Aregbesola. It means je soning the inadvertent (it is to be hoped) glamourisa on of poverty as a poli cal weapon. This must be discarded and replaced in this season with a clear Aregbesola styled “Alternave Perspec ve” to break the chains of poverty by tackling the root causes. Furthermore, the spectre of “State Capture” must also be confronted. The term State Capture originated from South Africa. It indicates the distor on of the state through the subservience of the superstructure of the state to the interests of individuals, special interests and groups. The end result of this is to act as a break on genuine development, compe on and innova on. It has also become a very alarming stul fica on and is now ac ng as a break on the prospects of achieving sustainable development in Nigeria. It must be tackled. Finally, we must hope that those who believe in the progressive thrust must adopt and rally around a programme of social and economic rejuvena on rather than hauling brickbats. With popula on growth, rates far outstripping economic growth rates it’s me to think!
Facing The Future &
W E are in the season of poli cal jockeying and all bets are off With so much at stake, the hardpressed economy stunted with diminishing purchasing power will see a s mulus as spending on poli cal ac vi es revs up a gear. The relief will be temporary of course, but thank God for small mercies. The real issue should be, “Where is the beef?” An inconvenient ques on, but poli cs in a country at our level of growth without development should ask for something more than vacuous u erances and just spending on “poli cs”. It is more per nent now at a me when the country is faced with existen al threats on so many fronts. The daily carnage of terrorists is directly linked and is indeed founded upon a distorted economic founda on. The absence of genuine, sensibly structured Development Plans to be used as a roadmap highlight this. Disturbingly, a forewarning of impending disaster had being foretold by the report of the judicial commission of enquiry into the Maitatsene riots in 1982. Governments, both civil and military just ignored the warnings. The consequences of so doing are now dire with the country devo ng roughly 20% of its budget on military expenditure. The figure is not going to come down any me soon; on the contrary, it will go up because the root causes of the crisis is not been tackled. To paraphrase the elec on winning slogan of the Bri sh Labour party under Tony Blair, “We should be tough on terrorism, tougher s ll on the causes of terrorism”. To be tough on the causes of terrorism requires both a rethinking of strategy and crucially the poli cal will. In a brilliant campaign in 1993, the late Bashorun MKO Abiola of much cherished memory captured the mood with his emphasis on saying a “Farewell To Poverty”. He meant it and certainly had the management nous and the intensity of purpose as well the commitment to have pulled off. Abiola’s manifesto was a reminder of the central thrust of the Ac on Groups 1950s emphasis on making “ Life more abundant “. They pulled it off
OSUN DEFENDER
REVIEW
Photo Journalist – Olushola Aderinto Computer Graphics – Zainab Olalere
“Whoever is sworn in on the 29th of May 2023 must hit the ground running! There will be breathing space on the security, economic and other fronts. Difficult decisions will have to be taken and executed while maintaining the social cohesion fundamental for democracy”
Also, the private schools do not resume by 8am and close at 2pm. We open at 7am. Most of the me, I woke up by 7am to teach my students Mathema cs when their brains are s ll fresh and we close by 4pm when we take them into swimming, drawing, sport and other extra curriculum ac vies to round up the day. The public schools cannot con nue to close by 2pm when there is every opportunity to extend the school ac vi es to 3pm. I want to propose that from Monday to Thursday, no public schools should close before 3pm so that a lot of things can be done.
It may be a token just to underscore a point of failing the system, and if you also do well for not failing the system, you should also be encouraged. Government should not also pay the WAEC fee of every child. The government should set a standard in mock examina on. Those who passed in the mock exams should be paid for. You will see that children will see sit up and pass their mock exams and do well in their final exams. That screening should be done, and in that process, apply the logic of s ck and carrots. Also, there is need for regular training and retraining of teachers. In the area of professionalism, let the trained and experienced teachers be the ones that will be at State Universal Basic Educa on (SUBEB).
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 02 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022 4 InterviewInterview •Omigbodun Arch. Goke Omigbodun was the governorship candidate of the Social Democra c Party (SDP) in the July 16 governorship elec on. In this interview with ISMAEEL UTHMAN, the educa onist expresses his disappointment on the vo ng decision of the electorate who voted for APC. He also shares ideas on how to improve the standard of public educa on in the state. Excerpt: H OW did you feel losing the July 16 governorship elec on to Senator Ademola Adeleke? I have congratulated Senator Ademola Adeleke and I have put that elec on behind me, facing the future and trying to s ll contribute my quota to the development of the State, Federal Republic of Nigeria and the society at large. Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, the APC governorship candidate in the elec on is at the tribunal to challenge Adeleke’s victory. Which malprac ces did you no ce in the elec on? Views are always different on every issue. That is why what is the most beau ful to you may be the ugliest thing to me. Governor Oyetola is en tled to his opinion and if that is his opinion, it must be respected and tested in the court of law and whatever the outcome from the court is what everyone must hold on to. I have told you what my opinion is and I’m set to cooperate with all ci zens and authority of the state to make sure that Osun goes on to higher length in all ramifica ons, especially in the field of educa on. I voted in Olorunda Local Government, Ward 2, Polling Unit 2. As far as I was aware and with reports people fed me from their various wards, things went on as smoothly as I could see on the elec on day. But if someone saw something else somewhere, that is it. I couldn’t have seen beyond my polling unit and heard beyond what people that are close to me told me. Are you not surprised that in spite of your campaign and manifesto, you didn’t get up to 1,000 votes? Definitely I was surprised; I was shocked. It came as a surprise to me because I uploaded at least 3,750 people as polling unit agents and they were all paid by the party. Or at least, some chie ains of the party collected funds and claimed to have given it to those people. I was shocked when the elecon was announced. Even if general people didn’t vote for me, I should not have less than 3750 votes because my party agents, including myself and my family should have voted for SDP. I was really shocked and that tells you the nature of poli cs and how some people will want to adjust some things within the system but they themselves are just waiting for opportuni es to strike and do some funny things. I was shocked because I didn’t think people within my party would be as callous as they were by disappearing a er collec ng money. You and the Labour Party candidate, Hon. Lasun Yusuf, were rated the best in all the debates preceding the governorship elec on, but that did not translate to votes for you. How did you feel about that? I am proud to declare that I read so many analyses and I heard several commentaries that I was clearly rated the best and many people rated Lasun Yussuff next to me, and you will observe that neither me nor him got the numbers of votes equivalent to the polling units in the state. How do you explain that? These are the issues and I have learnt another lesson in disappointment. During the campaign, I told my running mate, I staunch Muslim, go to all mosques and Muslim groups for campaign. I as an Anglican born Chris an, I visited all churches. So, did members of my deputy candidate’s Islamic groups forget to vote for us? What about all the priests of my Anglican churches and their wives and children? What about all the priests at all Methodist and pastors of so many other churches? Did they forget to vote for us with other people we spoke to, one way or the other? Where were all the architects? Where were all the Estate Surveyors and Valuers? I am referring to all my various immediate profession. If all the priests in Osogbo Anglican Dioceses and their wives voted for me, I would have had more than numbers of that votes. So, it means the reckon with elec on may not be about a certain public, associa on and issues of being able to ar culate manifestos and development. The last elec on was a strong two-horse-race. I think the next person a er those two candidates had only 10,000 votes; that was somebody who was not even reckoned with at all. I was shocked that APC could s ll garner as much votes it got. It means Osun people are s ll enjoying the APC and their style of governance because I’m s ll surprised that the margin of victory between the Governor-elect and Oyetola is close. I did not expect the APC to get that amount of votes. It tells you that people are used to suffering and we are not ready to change. Things are ge ng even more terrible now that you can’t even escape from this country again. The economy has totally collapsed. But le to me and the reasonable people, let there should be change of government. I was not happy that I lost the elecon but I am happy that, at least in Osun, there is a change of government unlike Eki , and that will happen in the general elec ons. Government should slip out of the APC. These people are so selfish! They were able to raise N100m per head for their presiden al cket and they were able to gather a sum of N3.5bn within two weeks, but they cannot rescue the ailing economy of the country. These people (APC) should go! They were s ll able to get 335,000 votes in Osun. It means the people of Osun are not ready for the kind of visions, person, personality and pocket I have. The people wanted to sell their votes and they did especially to the APC. I was shocked and I’m s ll shocked. I haven’t go en out of the shock. But I’m happy that Sen. Adeleke won. There is a fresh breath in Osun as far as I am concerned. It may not be a kind of fresh breath I would have wanted if I had become the governor but definitely, another fresh breath is here. As an educa onist, how would you react to the ranking of Osun as 36th in the 2021 West African Examina on Council performance?
Well, that is woeful. The state is 36th out of the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. And a state like Borno that has been under Boko Haram siege was able to perform than Osun. Then, something is definitely wrong with our system. These are part of the things we have been speaking about ages ago. The number one thing to be done is that teachers should be encouraged. A teacher who is not sure when he is going to get the half por on that was taken out of his salary for 30 months will not be commi ed to work. A teacher who is not sure how his re rement benefit is going to be; whether he or she is going to be paid gratuity and pension, will not put his best into the service of the state. The teachers are not also being monitored. There should be accountability in public system. These teachers are more qualified than those at the private Anotherschools.thingis that facili es have to be standard and uniform everywhere. I love the kind of facili es that I see at Osogbo Grammar School from outside. But let us have the replica of that in all nooks and crannies of communi es within the state. I spoke about e-facili es which are electronic facili es. Let no one tell me that we don’t have electricity everywhere or we don’t have the resources or the level of internet intelligence for our children to handle lessons online. The lessons don’t have to be real me online but it can be deposited online. The children can access it whenever electricity comes. I also spoke about Opon-Imo that was introduced by the administra on of the former governor Rauf Aregbesola. There’s this percep on any me I’m talking about this Opon-Imo; many see me as a Raufist. I’m not a Rauf man. There are areas I have my differences with Aregbesola. What I’m interested in is that the resources of Osun were deployed to buy the Opon-Imo. Publishers have been paid. Teachers who are part of the process have been paid. I have access to Opon-Imo. I have used its so component for my own children and they have succeeded. So, why are we not using it for the rest of the children in public schools who are supposed to be the primary beneficiaries of this investment? So, I think Senator Ademola Adeleke should look into that. The public school children should be screened too. The public schools should stop giving automa c promo on to children. Right from SS1, anyone that fails should repeat and during the year of his/ her repe on, he/she should not enjoy free educa on. The parents should pay for the failure of their children so that the rest of children will con nue to enjoy free educaon. But the child that failed the system should pay the system for his or her failure.
“There are areas I have my differences with Aregbesola. What I’m interested in is that the resources of Osun were deployed to buy the Opon-Imo. Publishers have been paid. Teachers who are part of the process have been paid. I have access to Opon-Imo. I have used its soft component for my own children and they have succeeded”
SUBEB shouldn’t be for all kinds of policians. If you have constant inhouse training for the teachers, they will always be guided to go back to the principles and prac ce of teaching the students properly and mentoring them. But once they’re not trained from me to me, the effect will reflect on the children performance.
I Was Shocked People Still Voted For APC In Spite Of Misgovernance In Osun – Omigbodun
The government also has to organise some overseas trainings for the teachers. It doesn’t have to be in America or UK. Even if it is going out of Osun to Abuja and Port Harcourt, or Ghana, it is something meaningful. When the teachers come back home, they step down into those ideas.
P RESIDENT Muhammad Buhari has disclosed that he is impressed with the outcome of the recent governorship elec ons in Anambra, Eki and Osun respec vely, stating that the country is succeeding in its electoral processes.Buhari stated this on Tuesday while receiving members of the Progressive Governor’s Forum (PGF) led by Chairman and Governor of Kebbi State, Abubakar Bagudu, at the State House, Abuja.The president noted that non-interference in elec ons gives credence to the polical process, ensures par cipa on and inclusiveness and shows that the governing party respects the electorate.He said, “The outcome of the Osun governorship elecon gives me hope that we are succeeding in our electoral processes, and we must respect the wishes of the electorates.“Iamimpressed by the outcome of the recent governorship elec ons in Anambra, Eki and Osun where neither I nor Presidency interfere.
Academic“CandidatesSession.that wish to transfer their studentship to UNIOSUN should visit h ps://www.uniosun. edu.ng or h Statetotheiralsofimamustapplicacompletesions.uniosun.edu.ngps://admis-toandsubmittheirons.However,theyprovidecorrectinfor-onwhichwillbeveri-edaccordingly.TheyareexpectedtoforwardAcademicTranscriptstheRegistrarofOsunUniversity”.
The president added that under his leadership, APC will con nue to respect Nigerians by ensuring that their votes count and the people’s voice ma er in choosing poli cal leaders at different levels.
proceedings held before my brother learned Arojo J. are sufficient for par es to hold on. “It is obvious Osun State Government has been misled into taking an illegal ac on. It might not have been deliberate, because it is unusual. The government ordinarily upholds the law, and there is need to warn whoever might have misled the government to take cauon.“Only few weeks ago, the Court of Appeal in Akure berated government adviser for misleading it into taking another illegal ac on, with respect to Alawo of Awo chieftaincy stool. “I declare that, based on the processes found in the case file, and submission of counsel, the Office of Ola-Aresa of Masifa-Ile, the tradi onal ruler of Masifa-Ile is s ll vacant ll date. Whosoever is claiming to occupying that office should be inves gated and if found guilty, be cast“Indeed,away. this is a challenge to the power of My Lord Arojo J. to defend the law because the Defendants have dangerously poked their fingers at his eyes, so to speak. It is unfortunate that the Defendants are being aided by Mr. Adeseun of Counsel to the 3rd - 5th Defendants in court this morning.“Counsels that worth their salt should not port illegality except they themselves are criminals. Having said all these, I hereby return the case file to the substan ve Judge, High Court Jus ce, Ejigbo, my brother, Hon. Jus ce L.O. Arojo, to con nue from where I stopped. “His lordship should preserve the majesty of the court, and uphold the vitality and importance of the court and its decision. In this lies the peace and progress of the society, as well as good governance”.
T HE management of Osun State University has announced that undergraduates who intend to transfer their studentship to the ins tu on can start applying now in the face of the lingering indusYusuf Oketola Yusuf Oketola Kazeem Badmus Yusuf
ZAZU Crooner, Portable, has issued a public apology to his colleague and music superstar, David Adeleke popularly known as Davido, weeks a er insul ng him on the internet, following events during the July 16 governorship elec on in Osun. It would be recalled that Habeeb Okikiola, fondly called Portable, threw jabs at Davido in rela on to the gubernatorial elec on in Osun where they had both supported different governorship candidates.
T HE Governorelect of the State of Osun, Sen. Ademola Adeleke, has described local government administra on as the building block for a goodAdeleke,governance.while receiving sub-commi ee reports of his transion commi ee on Monday, restated his commitment to local government reforms to improved living condions of Osun ci zens at the grassroots. He described local governments as “the building blocks of good governance”, posi ng that his administra on will fulfil his electoral promises by ensuring true autonomy for the local government system.The Governor-elect said, “Let me restate here that local government reform is so dear to my heart because of so many reasons. First, a strong local government system is the best way to ensure grassroots development. Two, poverty alleviaon is largely a local ma er. So, local governments with required resources will speed up prosperity. More importantly, compeon will become a new way among the council chairmen.“Iremember those days when council chairmen competed for commissioning of projects. Local elected leaders built roads, developed agriculture, markets and transport terminals. I look forward to the return of that era when council chairmen will fill the Governor’s schedule with project commissioning “. He however promised that his administra on will restore accountability and transparency in the opera ons of the local governments to block excesses and corrup-
O SUN High Court, si ng in Ejigbo, yesterday, declared the stool of Olaaresa of Masifa in Ejigbo local government vacant. This was coming days a er the State government through the Commissioner for Informa on and Civic Orienta on, Mrs. Funke Egbemode, announced the appointment of Prince Josiah Adeleke Oyewole as the newJusOlaaresa.ceOyejide Falola of the court, in a ruling sighted by OSUN DEFENDER, said the State government was misled into taking an illegal ac on on the appointment of the new Olaaresa.Jusce Falola maintained that whoever is laying claim to the stool should be inves gated and cast away if found guilty.
Osun Election: Portable Apologises To Davido
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 02 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022 5NewsNews
I’m Impressed With The Outcome Of Osun Election - President Buhari Court Nullifies Appointment Of Olaaresa Of Masifa, Declares Stool Vacant LG, The Building Blocks Of Good Governance - Adeleke
While Portable supported and endorsed the incumbent Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Davido threw his weight behind his uncle, Sen. Ademola Adeleke, who later won the elec on under the umbrella of the Peoples Democra c Party (PDP).Based on their poli cal differences, Davido unfollowed Portable on Instagram which made the Zazu ar ste sparked at Davido online via his InstagramPortable,account. who spoke in Yoruba language, said he wasn’t born from a wealthy family but he had made his father a wealthy man unlike Davido whose father is one of the richest men in the country. Weeks a er the drama had ensued, Portable who was recently bestowed a chie aincy tle by the Oni gbo of Tigbo, Oba Olabode Thomas-Fagbayi, as the “Chief Amuludun of Tigbo, Aworiland” apologized to Davido.Hisapologies to Davido was ini ated by Oba Thomas-Fagbayi, who addressed him alongside several of his subjects in a church.The tradi onal ruler instructed Portable to apologise and disregard all that had occurred between him and Davido during the Osun elec on. Portable who spoke a er the monarch said he has no bad feelings towards Davido, stating that he was only in Osun to conduct a job he was contractedPortablefor. offered his utmost apology to Davido and his enre fans.
ASUU Strike: UNIOSUN Announces Inter-University Transfer
SodiqOketolaYusuf
Entertainment trial ac on embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universi es (ASUU). UNIOSUN has announced the commencement of the sales of InterUniversity Transfer Form for the 2022/2023 Academic Session.Ina statement on its website, the university called on undergraduates that intend to transfer their studentship to visit its website to submit their applicaons.The school also urged prospec ve applicants to forward their Academic Transcripts to the Registrar of Osun State University. The statement reads: “This is to inform all the prospec ve applicants intending to transfer their studentship to Osun State University that the University has commenced the sales of Inter-University Transfer Form for the 2022/2023 The ins tu on said any student willing to transfer from other public and private universi es to UNIOSUN must transfer into the same course as he/she is studying or any other course, provided he/she sa sfies the requirement. It added that prospecve applicants must have a minimum cumula ve grade point average (CGPA) of 2.5/5.00 as of last session in his/her present University.on.“We will not support autonomy that encourages defrauding the people. We will ensure that resources and responsibili es devolve to the local governments in line with the cons tu on and handle in compliance with due process and ancorrup on laws,” the governor-elect stated. “The era of using Presiden al fiat to influence victories for candidates of the ruling party is over. The APC lost the governorship elecons in Anambra and Osun but won Eki “I want Nigerians to know that we respect them, and to
The ruling reads in parts: “The posi on of the Law is that once par es are served, or aware of the pendency of a suit, all, without excep on, should await the outcome, and abide thereof, the decision of the court. The mo on is not mature yet, but the submission of Mr. Fayemiwo of Counsel to the 6th and 7th Defendants which was adopted by I.T. Tewogbade, Counsel to the Plain ffs says it all. “The majesty of the court is being dragged in the mud and the power of the court to make order is being challenged. Even without the interven on of this court, the show that we will allow them to vote who they want”.
•Adeleke •Buhari
Suspected Cultist Remanded In Prison For Terrorising Osogbo 30-Yr-Old Man Arraigned For Withdrawing N550,000 With Stolen Phone
T HE government of the State of Osun has commenced the enforcement of the ban on roadside and walkways trading in the state. It would be recalled that the state government, a er its Execu ve Council mee ng last Tuesday, announced the ban, no ng that it became necessary due to the growing traffic snarl and danger to everybody using the markets. The State Commissioner for Informa on and Civic Orienta on, Mrs. Funke Egbemode, who made the disclosure also announced the setup of task force to enforce the ban imposed on the roadside and walkways trading and arrest violators.
Abisola Zainab Faith Ugwu Crime
A32-year-old suspected cul st, Olamide Atoyebi, has been remanded in Ilesa Correc onal Centre for allegedly terrorising Osogbo and its environ. Atoyebi, a suspected member of Aiye Confraternity and others at large, according to the charge sheet, were accused of unleashing terror on Osogbo and causing palpable fear among the residents of the state capital. The defendant was also said to unlawfully have in his possession one locally made cut-tosize single barrel gun and two live cartridge which he could not give sa sfactory account of. Atoyebi was arraigned before the court on a five-count charge of conspiracy, unlawful society, breach of peace, unlawful possession of firearm. According to the charge sheet obtained by OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, the accused person and others at large commi ed the offence on July 27, 2022 at about 5pm at Agunbelewo Area, Osogbo.The alleged offence contravened Sec ons 516, 64, 249(d) of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Vo.II, Laws of Osun State, 2002 but the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against him.Defense Counsel, Oladipupo Olatunbosun, prayed the court to admit the defendant bail on a liberal term, no ng that he would provide reliable surety to stand for him throughout his trial. In his ruling, the presiding Magistrate, T HE State of Osun Police Command has arraigned a 30-year-old man, Opeyemi Arogundade, before an Osogbo Magistrate Court over a stolen phone in Ilobu area of theArogundadestate. was accused of stealing a Tecno phantom 9 phone worth N97,000, property of one Sunday Adegbenro. He was said to have also fraudulently withdrawn sum of N550,000 from Adegbenro’s first bank ac-
•Osun Commissioner for Regional Integration and Special Duties, Hon. Lekan Badmus in a group photograph, with a team of budding boxers, after the 5th boxing festival held in Oyo state recently.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 02 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022 6
Osun Gov’t Enforces Ban On Roadside Trading Kazeem Badmus
T WO siblings, Sikiru Oloyede and Habib Oloyede have been accused of threatening to kill and dethrone the Alawo of Awo, Oba Abdulrazaq Taiwo Adegboye in Egbedore local government area of the State.The siblings were said to have conspired with a 40-year-old suspect, Muu Adebayo, to unlawfully invade the Alawo’s palace with intent to dethrone the monarch. They were arraigned before an Osogbo Magistrate Court on Tuesday. According to the charge sheet, the accused persons armed themselves with machetes, axes, charms and other dangerous weapons and threatened to kill the monarch. The defendants were arraigned on a six-count charge bordering on threat to life, unlawful invasion, conspiracy and breach of Accordingpeace.to the charge sheet, the accused persons committed the offence on August 26, 2022 at about 10:00 am at Alawo’s Palace, Awo, State of Osun. The alleged offence contravened Sec ons 516, 42, 86, 517, 70, and 249(d) of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Vol. II, Laws of Osun State, 2002. But the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the allega ons leveled againstApplyingthem.for the bail of the defendants, Defence Counsel, A.L Idris prayed the court to admit them to bail on a liberal term, no ng that they are reliable ci zens of the state who will not Adeyemi AnuoluwapoRaheemOwolabi
News
Siblings, One Other, Arraigned For Threatening To Kill, Dethrone Osun Monarch
OSUN DEFENDER visited some of the major market in Osogbo, capital of the State of Osun, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and observed that the ban was enforced as traders were not allowed to display their goods on the roads and walkways.Themedium also nojumpHowever,bail. the Police prosecutor, ASP John Idoko, objected to the oral bail applica on by the defence counsel on the ground that the security of the community and the state at large may be in jeopardy if the defendants were admittedInbail.his ruling, the presiding Magistrate, Adekanmi Adeyeba, admi ed the accused persons to bail in a sum of 2m with two sure es each.The case was adjourned ll October 12, 2022, for hearing.
Adekanmi Adeyeba, directed the Defence Counsel to present a formal bail applica Adeyeba,on. however, ordered that the defendant be remanded in Ilesa Correc onal Centre. The case was adjourned ll today, September 2, 2022 for considera on of bail. count with the phone. According to the charge sheet obtained by OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, the defendant commi ed the offence in the month of February, 2022 at Ilobu.The alleged offence contravened Sec ons 519, 390, 419, 517 and 249 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Vol. II, Laws of Osun State, 2002.However, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the six-count charge bordering on conspiracy, unlawful possession, fraud and stealing levelled against him.Applying for the bail of the accused person, Defence Counsel, Oladipupo Olatunbosun, prayed the court to admit the defendant bail on a liberal term, promising that he would provide reliable surety. In his ruling, the presiding Magistrate, Adekanmi Adeyeba, admi ed the defendant to bail in a sum of N500,000 with two sureThees. case was adjourned ll September 28, 2022 for hearing. ced the presence of security opera ves as well as the waste management team who were on ground to make sure the direc ve was complied with. At the popular Owode Ede Market on Wednesday, the traders were moved behind the barrier with police officers, men of the South-West Security Network codenamed Amotekun and members of the Osun Waste Management on ground to see to the implementa on of the direc ve. It would be recalled that the wife of the State Governor, Mrs. Kafayat Oyetola, was a acked by suspected hoodlums recently at the Owode market, a development many believed birthed the ban on roadsides, walkways trading by the government.A trader at the market, Mrs. Funmilayo Arowosegbe, while speaking with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, disclosed that the presence of the security personnel forced the traders to comply with the direcAccordingve. to her, those who had been using the road and walkways to display their goods had to return home as there was no place for them to use. Arowosegbe who credited the government for taking the long overdue step, however said the government ought to have provided an alterna ve for the traders in the market.
She said, “All I can say is that the government has done a very good thing and it is long overdue. People trading on the road are risking their lives for the li le money they want to get. When we heard about the ban, some people thought it was a joke but as you can see, the government is not joking at all. It even brought police officers and Amotekun here.
The only thing I think the government should have done before the ban is providing an alterna ve or at least, giving the traders some mes to sort themselves.”The ban was also effecvely enforced at Igbona and Ota Efun markets on Tuesday and Thursday respec vely. OSUN DEFENDER was at the markets and observed that traders were prevented from occupying the walkways and roadside.Speaking with the medium, a police officer who does not want his name in print, said they were there to enforce the ban with a warning not to harass anyone in the course of doing the Hejob.said, “We are here to make sure the people comply with the direc ve of the government and nothing more. It is a combined effort from the police and other agencies and we are working to make sure everything is in order. Nobody is going to be harassed. What we are to do is to maintain law and order and in the case someone or group wants to prove stubborn, we will only take the person(s) to the sta on.” The officer maintained that the traders had been coopera ng with the security personnel, adding that they made them realise it was for their safety and sanity in the State.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 02 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022 7Sports Chelsea Agrees Aubameyang Transfer Deal With Barcelona Show Us Some Respect, Xhaka Blasts Arsenal Celebration Critics
AyomideBabatundeKareem
Kafayat Olalekan, a nursing mother, was said to be four-month-old pregnant when she was shot HE
That I was formerlyknown and addressed as MISS ALABI MARYAM ADEBIMPE Now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. BELLO MARYAM ADEBIMPE. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.
Family Petitions DIG Over Killing Of Nursing Mother, Bricklayer In Ede
T
A FTER weeks of intense transac on, Chelsea and Barcelona have reached agreement in principle for Pierre Aubameyang.Itwasgathered that a transfer fee of €14m plus Marcos Alonso to Barça has been included in the transac Thison. is coming less than 24hours a er an ini al €14m was rejected by Barcelona.Aubameyang is now expected to fly to London in the upcoming hours, once details are resolved between all par es involved. It was reported yesterday that there was an ini al announcement that a full agreement now sealed between Pierre Aubameyang, his camp and Chelsea on the Aubameyangcontract. has been given permission to fly to the UK for his medical and to finalise the deal, with personal terms not expected to be a Aubameyangproblem.suffered a minor fracture of his jaw in I LEOGBO born footballer, Imuran Rofiat Adenike and four Falconets have been invited to Super Falcons team ahead of Super Falcons friendly against USA Women tomorrow. There have been calls for the promo on to the Super Falcons of some of the players who performed impressively during the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica a er the team were beaten G RANIT Xhaka has hit back at the cri cs who blasted Arsenal for “over-celebrating” their win against Fulham on Saturday. Pundits such as Richard Keys and Graeme Souness dead by unknown persons around 10pm of Friday August 5, at Atapa area of Ede.Her daughter, Azeenat, Ismaeel Uthman Ismaeel Uthman
Olamide AdeboyejoTolulope
LAWAL AKEEM OPEYEMI
That I was formerly known and addressed as LAWAL ABIGEAL. With former Date of Birth 20/01/1986. Now wish to be known and addressed as LAWAL ABIGEAL AJOKE. With correct Date of Birth 20/04/1986. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note. That I was formerlyknown and addressed as ADEPOJU MARUFU AJIBOYE Now wish to be known and addressed as ADEPOJU MORUFU AJIBOLA. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note. That I was formerly known and addressed as LAWAL AKEEM Now wish astobeknownandaddressed LAWAL AKEEM OPEYEMI All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.
T HE family of Abideen Olalekan and Kafayat Olalekan who were gruesomely killed in a crisis in Ede, State of Osun, on August 5, 2022 have peoned the Deputy Inspector General of Police to demand for inves ga on and jus ce on the case. Abideen Olalekan, a bricklayer was allegedly shot dead by a policeman, Adekunle Omoyele, who has been appointed as Chief Security Officer to the Governor-elect, Sen. AdemolaOmoyeleAdeleke.was leading the Osun Commissioner of Police’s Surveillance Unit as of the me of the incident.The late Abideen Olalekan, popularly known as Kuranga was allegedly shot in close range on the order of the Minority Leader of the House of Assembly, State of Osun, Hon. Babajide Kofoworola Adewumi. But Adewumi said he was nowhere near the junc on of Atapa market where the deceased was killed, maintaining that he did not bring any policeman to the town.
ABIGEAL AJOKEADEPOJU MORUFU AJIBOLA
News
Insecurity - Osun NSCDC Commandant •Agboola. an a ack on his home over the Theweekend.Gabon forward, who is expected to be out of ac on for three weeks, can resume non-contact training next Aubameyangweekmoved to Barcelona on a free transfer from Arsenal in January. He had three years le on his contract.Although Thomas Tuchel has been reluctant to talk about Aubameyang in public he is keen to work again with a player who scored 79 goals for him in two seasons at Borussia Dortmund. was reportedly removed from her back and put on her lifeless body a er being shot on her breast. In a pe on dated August 8, 2022 and obtained by OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, the family of the deceased accused Omoyele, the policeman of killing Kafaya Olalekan, a er killing her brother inlaw,CounselAbideen.to the family, Bola Abimbola Ige, urged the Deputy Inspector General of Police to inves gate the ma er and bring everybody found culpable in the crime to jus ce. The pe on reads in part: “The gruesome murder of two members of the same family within 12 hours by a police officer whose sole duty is to protect lives and proper es leaves much to be desired. “We therefore call on your good offices to passionately and cri cally look into this heinous crime against humanity perpetrated by Supol Omoyele and his despicable men. “We are of the firm belief that the angst this dastardly act has brought can only be assuaged if those responsible are brought to book.“We look forward to a prompt ac on that will put an end to the condemnable high-handedness of the police by bringing CSP Omoyele and others found wan ng with regard to this unwarranted killing to book.”
Iloko-Ijesa, Oba Akeem Olusayo Ogungbangbe and Alapomu of Apomu, Oba Kayode Afolabi during his familiariza on tour.Agboola said the visits became impera ve considering the crucial roles tradi onal rulers play in tackling crime and criminality in their different communi es. He said: “The corps has enjoyed a robust rela onship with tradional rulers and we are ready to work extra hard to bring insecurity to the barest minimum in Osun State.“Security personnel need informa on on suspicious movement in your community, as this will help nip crime in the bud.”In their respec ve responses, the tradi onal rulers said they were delighted to receive the State Commandant, disclosing that the NSCDC personnel in their communi es have been discharging their du es with every sense of professionalism.Theroyal fathers also disclosed that they were aware of the needs of the corps in terms of logis cs, just as they promised to contribute their quota in order to effec vely fight insecurity in Ijesaland. in the quarterfinals by Netherlands in the early hours of Monday, August 22, 2022. So far, the following players have been called; Flourish Sabasne, Blessing Demehin, Esther Onyenezide, Rofiat Imuran, Deborah Abiodun and Mercy Idoko. According to the Super Falcons boss, Randy Waldrum, the four players have showed great quality and deserve to be upgraded to the senior na onal team. Football analyst have observed that Imuran’s defensive awareness and recovery rate down the le channel are topnotch. took aim at Mikel Arteta’s side a er their drama c comeback victory against the Co agers at the weekend, claiming they overdid their celebra ons at the full- me whistle. But Xhaka has responded defiantly, telling Arsenal’s critics to show some respect.Speaking to reporters a er Wednesday night’s win against Aston Villa, Xhaka said: “You have respect for every club and the people if they say that we can’t celebrate because it was Fulham, they don’t respect the Fulham team. “You saw them as well on Tuesday [against Brighton], they won again. They have lost only against us in five games. So give them some credit, give them some respect”.
ciesligenceprovideonenlightenintheNigeria.fivitaltradiboola,mand,(NSCDC),CivilNigeriaCommandant,SecurityandDefenceCorpsOsunCom-Mr.SundayAg-hasreiteratedthatonalrulershaverolestoplayintheghtagainstinsecurityinAccordingtoAgboola,tradionalrulersarethebestposiontotheirsubjectstheneedtoalwaysaconableintel-tosecurityagen-intheircommuni-es.AgboolastatedthisonWednesdayduringafamiliarisaonvisittotheOwaObokunofIjesaland,ObaDr.GabrielAdekunleAromolaran.TheCommandantalsovisitedtheEleg-boroofIjebu-IJesa,ObaOluwafemiAgunsoyeAbikehin,theOwalokoof
PUBLICATIONLAWAL
MRS. BELLO MARYAM ADEBIMPE
Traditional Rulers Have Role To Play In Ending
Ileogbo-Born Footballer, Imuran To Play For Super Falcons Tomorrow
Ileogbo-Born Footballer, Imuran To Play For Super Falcon Tomorrow Pg. 7
ONSCIOUS of the fact that the tenure of all poli cal office holders in the Local Government Councils would expire by 5th February, 2021, Governor Gboyega Oyetola on Tuesday, 19th May, 2020 sent names of nominees for the Board of Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly for screening and clearance. Having secured the Assembly clearance, Mr. Governor inaugurated the Commission on the 10th of June, 2020 – over two years ago. However, Mr. Oyetola had taken no further steps since 5th of February, 2021 to conduct council elec ons as demanded by the 1999 Cons tu on, despite the fact that the State Electoral Commission he inaugurated was in place and prepared to conduct the elec ons. Instead, he handpicked his loyalists as LG Caretaker Commi ees for six months against the spirit and letters of the Cons tu on. When the six months was about ge ng expired, Governor Oyetola wrote again to the State House of Assembly on Monday, 20th of December, 2021 for another six-month elonga on for his LG caretaker commi ees. As usual, the House granted the wish of Mr. Governor. And again in June, 2022, the Governor wrote the State Assembly for extension of his Local Government Caretaker Commi ees, which was to expire on July 12, 2022four days to July 16 governorship elecon. A part of the Governor’s memo to the House reads, “This is to bring to your no ce that the six months term of the Caretaker Management Committee in the LGAs and Local Government Development Area Councils will expire on July 12, 2022. I hereby request the State House of Assembly to confirm the appointment of the caretaker management to run the affairs of the councils for another period of six months.” Meanwhile Osun PDP had, in suit number Hos/M39/2021, filled a ma er in the State High Court, Osogbo, challenging the legality of the State Government appoin ng caretaker commi ees instead of organising LG elec on that would allow other poli cal par es to partake in the poli cal process. Furthermore, the party prayed court to declare the caretaker commi ee members illegal and that those appointed should refund all salaries and en tlements they have drawn from LG purse. However, Jus ce Ayo Oyebiyi of Court 5, State High Court, dismissed Mr. Oyetola and APC preliminary objec on and adjourned the ma er for hearing of the substan ve suit to 23 September, 2022.Again, some Osun Civil Society organisa ons have also consistently protested Governor Oyetola’s refusal to conduct local council elec ons. For limited space, just one organisa on will suffice - Democracy Vanguard - a pro-democracy Project of Ci zenship Civic Awareness Centre had on 19th July, 2021 issued a statement, signed by its State Coordinator, Mr. Olowu Emmanuel, to cau on and condemn Ismail Omipidan, Chief Press Secretary to Mr. Governor, who was misinforming the public to jus fy illegal ac on of his boss in appoin ng Caretaker Commi ees to administer local councils instead of proper elec on conduct, amongst several steps taken to pressure Mr. Governor to conduct councils elec ons. From the aforesaid, everybody seems to be interested in a proper elecon conducted for poli cal office holders in local councils as s pulated in the 1999 Cons tu on as amended, including main opposi on Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), pro-democracy organisaons, Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC). If there was anybody that never wanted elec on, it is Governor Gboyega Oyetola! Why the sudden change of mind by Mr. Governor to conduct local council elec on by 15th October, 2022, a er failure to be re-elected at the July 16, 2022 governorship elec on? Why sudden change of mind by main opposi on PDP who had, all along, been clamouring for the council elec ons, now chickening out to say ‘no’ to the elec ons? Answers to these ques ons are polical with legal pointers to the issues involved.Bythe end of July, a er the defeat of APC in July 16 governorship elec on, there were rumours flying around that Governor Oyetola and Osun APC were planning to conduct council elec ons. However, the OSIEC Chairman, Otunba Segun Oladitan, on 2nd August, 2022, denied the rumour in a statement issued by the commission and signed by him. A part of his statement reads, “At the appropriate me, the commission would come out with the elec on guidelines to put a stop to unnecessary rumours being peddled around.” On 11th August, OSIEC again issued a statement signed by same Chairmantled, “OSIEC Holds Parley Mee ng With Poli cal Par es Ahead of LG Poll.” The mee ng eventually held on 12th August at the Conference hall of the Commission along Old Ikirun Road. Subsequently, the Commission no fied all poli cal par es to get ready for council elec on slated for 15th October, 2022. The ques on to ask is whether or not the proposed date is in tandem with the 2022 Electoral Act? For avoidance of doubt, its Sec on 28(1) states, “The Commission shall, not later than 360 days before the day appointed for holding of an elec on under this Act, publish a no ce…….(a) sta ng the date of the elec on.” Sec 29 (1) states, “Every poli cal party shall, not later than 180 days before the date appointed for a general elec on under this Act, submit to the Commission, in the prescribed Forms, the list of the candidates the party proposes to sponsor at the elecons, who must have emerged from valid primaries conducted by poli cal party.” With this, could OSIEC conduct council elec ons by its proposed OctoberBy15?law, State Independent Electoral Commission is the only ins tu on that could conduct the council elec ons. However, unlike Na onal INEC that is known to crea ng level playground for incumbents and opposi on par es, courtesy of President Muhammadu Buhari democra c creden als and refusal to use ‘federal might’ to subjugate opposi on, it is a different ballgame for State Elec on Commission. Historically, in all local government elec ons conducted by States Electoral Commissions, incumbent Governors and their par es have always swept all the posions. The excep on was Abuja council elec ons in February 12, 2022 where PDP won Municipal Area Council chairmanship post with 19,302 votes against APC 13,240 votes and also swept Kuje Area Council chairmanship. However, this was made possible because INEC conducted the elec ons. If it were to be conducted by FCT Electoral Commission appointed and funded by the FCT Minister, the results would have been the other way round in favour of the incumbent Minister and his/her party. It is like, “He who pays the piper dictates the tune.” Hence, it is understandable why the Osun opposi on PDP who is warming up to take over Bola Ige House in Abere on November 27, having won July 12 governorship elec on, is not folding its hands to allow the slated council elec ons for 15 October, 2022 hold, which explains why the party has rushed to the court to halt the process. Some analysts have argued that by the virtue of Sec on 162(6) of the 1999 Cons tu on, where each State shall maintain “State Joint Government Account” into which shall be paid allocaon to Local Government of the State from the Federa on Account and from the government of the State, Governor Oyetola felt much more comfortable with his chosen caretaker commi ees as they could not challenge him of illegal deduc ons of LG funds like those he inherited from Rauf Aregbesola whose tenure expired by 5th February, 2021 and had always grumbled and conspired against him any me he wanted to deduct from LG funds; hence, his reluctance to conduct LG elec on ll when he lost power in July 16.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 02 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022 VOL. 17 NO 34 www.osundefender.com, email: osundefenderbank@gmail.com
“It is advisable for all the political parties to start preparation while awaiting court verdict on whether or not OSIEC could conduct the election on the slated October 15, expressly based on issues of its legality”
Some are also of the opinion that immediately a er the defeat of Mr. Oyetola of APC by Senator Adeleke of the PDP in July 16 governorship elec on, Oyetola, in conjunc on with his party, has dragged Senator Adeleke, PDP and INEC to Elec on Pe on Tribunal so as to play with me to do some polical opera ons. They opine that since 27 November by which date Oyetola would hand over to Governor-elect is about three months away and the general elec ons for President, Na onal and State Assembly elec ons are slated for February/March 2023, APC would need some structures on ground, especially at the grassroots to be able to be formidable in the forthcoming elecons. Hence, APC‘s despera on to conduct LG elec on legally or illegally as incoming administra on would sack all Oyetola caretakers immediately it assumes power, which will not be in the interest of the party vis-à-vis forthcoming general elec ons. As I write, Governor Oyetola is meeting with other poli cal par es except PDP for talks, possible alliances and concessions on some LGs interests with respect to the forthcoming proposed LG elec ons. PDP is not ready for such alliances with APC as it believes it is more popular. Conclusively, this is poli cs with different forma ons and permutaons. It is neither here nor there. It is advisable for all the poli cal par es to start prepara on while awai ng court verdict on whether or not OSIEC could conduct the elec on on the slated October 15, expressly based on issues of its legality. While one doesn’t pray for war, it is safer one prepares for it.
8050-0794ISSN Sports
OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun.
All correspondence to the Deputy Editor, ISMAEEL UTHMAN, Telephone: 0809-301-9152. ISSN: 0794-8050. Website: www.osundefender.com Email: osundefenderbank@gmail.com, osundefemder@yahoo.com
Politics Of Osun LG Elections
C
