Tight security as APC holds primary election in Osun State

There is a tight security presence in Osogbo, the Osun State capital as the All Progressives Congress (APC) is holding its primary election.

The election is scheduled to commence by 12 noon and accreditation of voters is currently ongoing.

There are currently two factions of the APC in Osun. One faction is loyal to the Governor Gboyega Oyetola, who is seeking re-election while the other faction is  the backing of the Minister of interior and former governor of the state, Rauf Aregbesola.

One of the contestants, Moshood Adeoti, a former state chairman of the party, is the candidate of the Minister Aregbesola. Also in the race is a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Lasun Yusuf.

The winner of the primary election will emerge flag bearer of the APC for the Osun governorship election scheduled to hold on July 16, 2022.

Meanwhile the Primary Election Committee set up by All Progressives Congress (APC) to oversee Osun Guber Primary Election has promised that it would deliver a free, fair and credible poll this Saturday.

The Chairman of the Committee and Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdulrazak, made the promise, on Friday, at a stakeholders’ forum held within the premises of APC party secretariat in Osogbo.

Abdulrazak said ”his committee was raised to ensure fairness and equity to all contestants, and that it would do nothing short of that.”

He therefore enjoined all stakeholders to believe in the primary electoral process.

Voice of Nigeria reports that incumbent Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Lasun Yussuff and a former Secretary to Osun State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti are all vying for the party’s governorship ticket.

Abdulrazak urged all three contestants, their supporters as well as all registered members of the APC, who would vote on Saturday to shun acts capable of truncating the peace of the state.

Direct Primary Election Guidelines
In the same vein, the Secretary of the Primary Election Committee, Senator Julius Ucha, while urging the contestants to maintain peace and decorum, assured stakeholders of the Committee’s impartiality.

He said ”the Committee was poised to ensure fairness, adding that no member of the party would be unjustly disenfranchised. ”

Ucha, who read out the election guidelines and instructions, said ”accreditation started at 8:00 am and would end at 12 noon, stressing that voting would commence immediately after accreditation and that it would last for two hours. ”

He however warned that there must not be any canvassing for votes at the polling stations, even though agents would be permitted to carry posters of the candidates they represent for easy identification.

He said further that voters were to queue behind their preferred candidates or their agents and that results would be announced publicly at each polling venue.

Osun Governorship direct primary election holds simultaneously in all 332 wards of the state.

Mercy Chukwudiebere