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2023 GOVERNORSHIP AND
STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS

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How Infighting Caused APC’s Defeat In Osun
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How Infighting Caused APC’s Defeat In Osun

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Internal wrangling and revolt against the ruling party by the people were partly responsible for the defeat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, findings by Daily Trust revealed.

Hundreds of thousands of voters thronged to polling booths across the state on Saturday for what many described as a two horse-race between outgoing Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of the APC and governor-elect, Senator Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). 

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Counting of votes began in earnest and as results started trickling in, there was apprehension in the APC camp and it became obvious before the close of the ballot that the opposition PDP was cruising to victory.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in the early hours of Sunday, declared Adeleke the winner of the election.

According to the Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, UNILAG, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, Adeleke polled a total of 403,371 against Oyetola’s 375, 027 votes, giving a difference of 28, 344 votes.

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Adeleke won in 17 local government areas while Oyetola, who won the 2018 election in a controversial manner, secured victory in 13.

While some analysts say the victory in a state considered as the ancestral home of the presidential candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has provided a catalyst for the PDP to see the opportunity for more electoral victories in 2023, others have a different view.

Daily Trust recalled that Oyetola defeated Adeleke in 2018 after securing 255, 505 votes in the re-run poll. Adeleke had 255,023 votes at the time with many PDP members alleging that they were rigged out at the polls because they won in the first instance.

Ademola Adeleke emerges Osun guber winner
Osun State Governor-elect, Ademola Adeleke displayed his dancing skills in the church during a thanksgiving service to celebrate his victory in Ede yesterday

A video that went viral showed Adeleke shedding tears of joy as he dedicated the victory to his late brother, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, and the people of Osun State. He was in midst of his siblings, Deji Adeleke, Dupe Adeleke and Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State and Douye Diri of Bayelsa State.

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The governor-elect who joined active politics in 2017, said in a statement, “I am overwhelmed by your love and support.

“Our state has turned a new page. We have launched a landmark path for the progress and prosperity of our people.

“It is, therefore, with a strong faith in God and trust in our people that I accept my election as the governor of Osun State.

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“I pledge my total commitment to the best interest of the state and the people.”

How APC defeats self

Daily Trust reliably gathered that the APC was unable to put its house in order before going to the Saturday’s poll.

The running battle between Oyetola and his predecessor, Rauf Aregbesola, who is the Minister of Interior, was not resolved.

Political allies of Aregbesola openly worked against the party even as some of them defected to the PDP before the commencement of the poll.

Aregbesola also shunned the exercise and thereafter mocked the outgoing governor in a tweet before he deleted the post.

One of the aides of Governor Oyetola, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “Some of the APC chieftains who were tasked with one assignment or the other worked against the party because of the crisis within the party. Days leading to the election, it was difficult to know who was with us.”

It was learnt that the last-minute moves by Tinubu, a former interim Chairman of APC, Bisi Akande and National Secretary of the APC, Iyiola Omisore to pacify aggrieved members proved abortive.

Despite prompt payment of salaries and pensions, some electorate also condemned the governor for always “ignoring” the people.

A party chieftain in Iragbiji, the hometown of the governor, said, “On the day of the election, the governor left his polling unit after voting.  He left after addressing journalists; he couldn’t even interact with his supporters who were hailing him.

“That has been his attitude since 2018. He is not a politician,” he said.

The vote-buying factor

Our correspondent reports that the election also saw the two major parties buying votes.

Unlike in Ekiti, the PDP was able to match the APC in the amount distributed to willing voters. Interestingly, some voters collected money and still voted against the party that paid them as observed in some polling units.

But the issue of religion was not considered by the electorate as the candidate of the PDP ran a Christian-Christian ticket unlike Oyetola, a Muslim who had a Christian deputy.

Daily Trust reports that against criticisms and confrontations mounted before him for picking Christian deputy governorship candidate, Kola Adewusi, Adeleke was unruffled.

Of recent, the issue of flagbearers and their deputies coming from the same religion as exemplified in the Tinubu/Kashim Shettima presidential aspiration under the APC has unsettled Nigeria’s political environment even as some pundits believed the citizens should prioritise competence and service delivery instead of mundane issues.

In the Osun election, PDP’s members of the National Working Committee (NWC) were reportedly divided over the choice because both Adeleke and Adewusi are Christians.


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