The headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the Staten of Osun has said it has distributed 993,459 (70.65 per cent)  out of 1,406,147 permanent voters cards in the state.
The State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Adekunle Ogunmola, who was just deployed to the state, spoke on Friday at his maiden press briefing, saying, 412,688 (29.35 per cent) of the cards were yet to be distributed.
He added that the distribution of the PVC would stop at the end of January, noting that the commission has extended the distribution of the cards to ward level to ensure that more people get it.
Ogunmola also stressed that Saturdays have now been included in the days for the distribution of PVCs, while the closing times have been extended.
The INEC boss also said the state office of the commission has so far received 2,133 Voter Card Readers, while the rest are yet to be deployed, saying, the commission would use the available ones to start training of officials that would work with them.
He said, 3,960 Plastic Ballot Boxes have so far been deployed to the state and were in the store of the commission.
Ogunmola added that the commission has started voters’ enlightment, while workshop would also be organised for all categories of people.
On allegation of bias against his predecessor, Ambassador Rufus Akeju, the REC described his predecessor as a man of integrity, but a victim of bad politics on the side of those castigating him.
Wondering why politicians would go extra mile to blame “such thorough bred diplomat” when they could not achieve their aims, he said, “it is unfortunate that the kind of politics we play in this country is quite dirty.
“He is a man of integrity, but he was misunderstood,” he said.
THE NATION

Reactions have continued to trail the reduction of the pump price of petroleum by the Federal Government from N97 to N87.
Many Nigerians saw the N10 reduction as political, as it was meant to canvass support for the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan, saying that it was not done with genuine intensions.
Nigerians argued that if the reduction was done with the aim of objectively reducing petroleum pump price in line with the crash of crude oil prices in the international markets, the Federal Government would have put the price at N45.
They added that President Jonathan would not wait till election period before reducing the petrol pump price.
Similarly, a coalition of civil society groups in the State of Osun has rejected the N10 reduction in the petroleum pump price, describing it as ridiculous and meagre.
The Osun Civil Societies Coalition (OCSC) stated that the N10 reduction does not reflect the fallen price of crude oil in the global market, adding the new N87 pump price was still arbitrary and fraudulent.
According to the OCSC, the President Jonathan-led Federal Government was being insensitive to Nigerians’ plight and taking the people for granted if it could “ridiculously” take away just N10 from the pump price of petrol.
Chairman of the OCSC, Comrade Biodun Agboola, in a press statement made available to the medium on Sunday in Osogbo, said N10 reduction was politically-motivated, as it is not commensurate with the fallen crude oil prices in the global market.
Agboola said; “When crude oil was $119 per barrel, the Federal Government increased the petroleum pump price to N110. However, it was reduced to N97 following massive protest against the unjust and arbitrary hike in the pump price of petrol in 2012.
“Now that crude oil is $49 per barrel in the international market, the expected pump price reduction should have been between N35 to N40.
“We however, wondered why the Federal Government delayed the reduction in the petroleum pump price till the election period, when the crude oil price had crashed for almost five months in the global market.”
Agboola maintained that the Federal Government was still defrauding Nigerians with the N87 fuel pump price, adding that the new price further pronounced the brazen corruption and bad governance in the country.
THE NATION

Photos of the Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on the top of a vehicle acknowledging cheers from the broom wielding supporters of the All Progressives Congress APC, during the Presidential Campaign of General Muhammadu Buhari at  Pavilion Central Ado-Ekiti on Saturday 24/01/2015.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola(4th right),Presidential
Candidate All Progressive Congress (APC), General Muhammadu
Buhari(right) Vice Presidential Candidate, All Progressive Congress
(APC), Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (2nd right) Former Governor Lagos
State,Senator Bola Tinubu (3rd right),Former Governor Ekiti State, Dr.
Kayode Fayemi(left) and member representing Ikorodu Federal
Constituency Lagos State in the Federal House of Representatives, Hon.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa of, during the Presidential Campaign Rally in
Ado-Ekiti State at Pavilion Central Ado-Ekiti on Saturday 24/01/2015.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Presidential Candidate
All Progressive Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari, Ewi of
Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe Aladesanmi and Former Governor Ekiti
State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, during the Presidential Campaign Rally in
Ado-Ekiti State at Pavilion Central Ado-Ekiti on Saturday 24/01/2015.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on the top of a vehicle
acknowledging cheers from the broom wielding supporters of the All
Progressives Congress APC, during the Presidential Campaign of General
Muhammadu Buhari at Pavilion Central Ado-Ekiti on Saturday
24/01/2015.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Presidential Candidate
All Progressive Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari and Ewi of
Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe Aladesanmi, during the Presidential
Campaign Rally in Ado-Ekiti State at Pavilion Central Ado-Ekiti on
Saturday 24/01/2015.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola(4th right),Presidential
Candidate All Progressive Congress (APC), General Muhammadu
Buhari(right) Vice Presidential Candidate, All Progressive Congress
(APC), Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (2nd right) Former
Governor Lagos State,Senator Bola Tinubu (3rd right),Former Governor
Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi(left) and Member Representing Ikorodu
Federal Constituency Lagos State in the Federal House of
Representatives, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, during the Presidential
Campaign Rally in Ado-Ekiti State at Pavilion Central Ado-Ekikiti on
Saturday

Your vote is your voice! Pick up your PVC and if you have any issues doing that, reach the INEC office in your Local Government or the closest ward office. February 14 2015 is the date. Make your vote count!

The Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, for Osun State, Dr. Adekunle Ogunmola has charged religious leaders to actively pursue the success of the forthcoming general elections by preaching to their congregations to shun violence before, during and after the polls.
The Osun State REC made the call weekend in Osogbo during an advocacy parley with religious leaders in the state in preparation for the coming elections.
The parley was part of sensitization meetings scheduled with stakeholders held at Olu-Osungbohun Hall of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Osogbo,
Ogunmola said that the parley was organized to address all the irregularities in the 2011, and to conduct a credible election.
The INEC boss who recalled the success of the commission in the August 9, 2014 governorship election in the state, promised that “we are ready to conduct elections that will be better than the past and be acceptable to the people.”
He asked the people of the state to go and collect their Permanent Voters’ Card, PVCs, saying; “We have extended the distribution time to 5.30pm and Saturdays included.”
He added that; “We observed that politicians do listen to you Pastors and Imams during service that is why we are appealing to you to help us crusade for peace in your mosques and churches.”
He also warned that religious places should not be used to campaign for candidate, advising that youths should be warned to shun violence.
Responding, the President, League of Imams and Alfas in Osun State, Alhaji Musa Animasahun, commended the commission for the programme stressing that Muslims leaders have been praying and warning their followers in the mosques.
Also, Osun State President of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Reverend Elisah Ogundiya, urged politicians to desist from provocative utterances, promising that Christians would do all it could, to support the INEC and ensure that the elections succeed.
Meantime, the All Progressives Congress, APC in Osun State has appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to ensure that all polling units in the country have card readers planned to screen all voters during the elections.
VANGUARD

Come February 14th and 28th 2015, the people of Osun State will join the rest of Nigerians to cast their votes for the candidates of their choice for the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly elections. Also on these dates, the Presidential and Governorship elections will hold respectively.
In Osun State, the elections will be unique because there will be no gubernatorial election. This is because election into the office of the Governor took place in August 2014 with the Action Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola re-elected for a second term. Thus, the battle shifts to the Osun State House of Assembly for election of Honourable Members, as well as the National Assembly for the election of Honourable Members of the Federal House of Representative and that of the distinguished Members of the Senate. We must note also that in Osun State, just like in all other States of the Federation, we now have two major political parties – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressive Congress (APC) in addition to the other smaller political parties thereby making the elections more competitive.
Before we go to the parliamentary polls in Osun State, we need to ask ourselves the question: Do we want continuity of the harmonious relationship that has existed in the last four years between the State Executive arm of government and the State Legislature? Do we want continuity of the massive infrastructural development that is taking place in Osun State as a result of this harmonious relationship? If your answers to these questions are in the affirmative, then you must vote for all the candidates of the ruling All Progressive Congress in Osun State. Please note that Governor Rauf Aregbesola wouldn’t have succeeded in his first term if he did not receive the support of the State House of Assembly members. Also, the wonderful support he got from the House of Representative members and Senators from Osun State cannot be underestimated. And mind you, this unflinching support is hinged on one major fact: the State House of Assembly members and those of the National Assembly are from the same Party (APC) with the Governor.
I am not saying that cordial relationship does not exist in States where the Governor and members of the State House of Assembly come from different Political parties but my experience in south west politics has shown that such party differences between the head of the Executive and the majority members of the Legislative arm gives room for frictions. The ugly incident playing out in Ekiti State since the election of Ayodele Fayose of the PDP as Governor is a pointer to what I am trying to explain. When an opposition party gains majority in a State House of Assembly, the threat of impeachment is usually high. It is either the Governor will be busy wooing some members of the House who are in the opposing party to decamp to the ruling party or the House members will be pre-occupied with how to frustrate the Governor through the threat of impeachment and non-passage of executive bills. And of course, the end result of this scenario is the collapse of governance. This is the least of what we expect in Osun State and that is why I plead with all Omoluabis to continue with the progressive politics that we have enjoyed in the last four years in Osun State. With the co-operation of the State House of Assembly, Governor Aregbesola has performed excellently given the limited resources that come to Osun State. We have witnessed massive infrastructural development, peaceful co-existence and security of lives and properties as well as over 20,000 jobs created for our Youths just to mention a few. We need more of these developmental strides in our beloved State of Osun and these can only be guaranteed if all hands are on deck to support the present government of Aregbesola by electing all APC candidates into the Osun State House of Assembly and also at the National Assembly.
-Yinka Olatunbosun, a former Aspirant for Ife East Constituency in the Osun State House of Assembly, wrote in from Ile-Ife.
DAILY INDEPENDENT

Osun State Election Petition Tribunal hearing the petition of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP’s candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, challenging the victory of Mr. Rauf Aregbesola of All Progressives Congress, APC in the August 9, 2014 governorship election on Friday adjourned for judgment.
The adjournment came following the adoption of written address of the two parties by their counsel.
The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP)’s governorship candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore is praying the tribunal to cancel the results of the election in some polling units in 17 local government councils of the state and declared him the lawful winner of the election.
Counsel to Omisore, Alex Izinyon (SAN), while addressing the panel said the respondents, Governor Rauf Aregbesola, APC and Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had failed to defend the allegation of corrupt practices, substantial non-compliance and irregularities levelled against them, urging the tribunal to discountenance their defense.
He said that the petitioner’s evidences were weighty enough to declare Omisore the winner of the election.
But respondents urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition for lack of merit, baseless and wasting of time.
Represented by Chief Akin Olujinmi (SAN) and Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) and Mr Ayptinde Ogunleye, submitted that the specific allegations upon which the grounds of the petition were predicated were criminal in nature adding that the petitioners had failed to prove the allegations beyond reasonable doubt.
They noted that the tribunal had no discretion to hear the petition based on their initial application that the petitioner filed his petition out of time.
They however urge the tribunal to dismiss the petition for lacking in merit with substantial cost.
Meanwhile, security were beefed up around the court premises as armed policemen and operatives of State Security Service (SSS) were deployed in the area to ensure that there was no breakdown of law and order.
Members of the PDP after the tribunal sitting had gone to town singing that the tribunal had declared their candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore winner. The news which spread like wild fire around the town as residents of state were making callings to government officials and journalists to find out the true story concerning the sitting at the tribunal.
In a swift reaction, the All Progressives Congress (APC) faulted the claim that PDP has won the election petition tribunal case.
A statement issued by its Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Mr Kunle Oyatomi said “it is not true that the PDP has won at the Election Petition Tribunal in Osogbo.
“The PDP members had gone beserk. Nothing of sort has happened anywhere in any court of law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The APC admonished the residents of the state to shun the rumour describing it as wicked and cynical jubilation by PDP members around some centres in Osogbo that they have won at the Tribunal.
“It is not only false, it is intended to create confusion in the state capital and other cities. What happened today at the tribunal was not a judgment. ‘The Tribunal simply had addresses by all counsel, representing their clients on the case. After that, the Tribunal chairman adjourned sitting indefinitely.
“No date has been fixed for judgment. Only a terrible mischief-maker and political vagabond will go about town declaring victory and rejoicing in a case of this nature which the court has not made final pronouncement on.
‘The people of Osun should disregard PDP’s antics. ‘That party is already losing its mind and its leadership in the state of Osun‎ needs spiritual and medical help.
‘Governor Rauf Aregbesola is in charge and All Progressives Congress is the party in power in the State of Osun.
‘Nothing has changed that fact. Osun people should go about their lawful businesses and treat the PDP people who are jubilitating over nothing with pity for something has seriously wrong with them, the APC said.
However, the Chairman of the three member panel, Justice Elizabeth Ikpejime, adjourned indefinitely, saying the date of the judgement would be communicated to the parties.
“It is a fact that based on intelligence at the Command’s disposal, there was massive deployment of policemen at conspicuous locations in Port Harcourt to forestall breakdown of law and order.
“Members of the public are by this release called to ignore and disregard the rumour, please.”
When contacted, Okocha also told THISDAY that he was not under house arrest.
He however raised concern over the massive police presence around his residence.
According to him, “I woke up this morning to see about six troopers of police around my residence. Although my movement was not restricted, the police have not explained to me why that large security presence.
THISDAY

Your vote is your voice! Pick up your PVC and if you have any issues doing that, reach the INEC office in your Local Government or the closest ward office. February 14 2015 is the date. Make your vote count!

THE Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun State, Dr Adekunle Ladipo Ogunmola, on Thursday, said People Living With Disabilities (PLWD) will not be disenfranchised in the February 2015 general election.
He disclosed that arrangements had been perfected by the electoral body to ensure that physically challenged persons perform their civic rights in the choice of their preferred candidates in the forthcoming polls.
Speaking at the Inter-Agency Advisory Committee on Voters’ Education and Publicity (SICVEP), Ogunmola allayed Nigerians’ fear about the forthcoming general election, assuring that the commission would do a thorough and acceptable job.
While contending that sensitisation programmes were germane to the success of the forthcoming general election, the REC tasked all registered political parties in the country to assist the commission in educating their members on Electoral Acts, with a view to reduce the incidence of voided votes during election exercise.
According to Ogunmola: “we are seeking the support and cooperation of the people of the state in particular, and Nigerians in general to the task before INEC. This sensitisation programme is a must do by all stakeholders in the coming elections in order to have hitched-free and credible elections.”
“If we sensitise the people at our different levels, lot of people would be able to cast their vote and it will reduce the number of invalid votes in the elections,” he asserted.
Ogunmola stated that INEC had concluded arrangements to hold sensitisation meeting with the physically challenged people, youth groups, women groups, religious leaders, traditional rulers, political parties, civil societies, trade unions, transport unions, male and female traders, among others.
In his remark, the immediate past Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Osun, Mr Sunday Akere assured that the state government would do everything possible to work with the commission, at ensuring a smooth outcome of the forthcoming elections.
TRIBUNE

‎The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has commended Ipetumodu and Ashipa communities for embracing peace four days after they entered into agreement to end hostilities.

‎The two communities in Ife-North Local Government Area of Osun in the last two weeks engaged in a communal clash over a disputed land and the clash in their market days.

In a statement by the Governors Media aide Semiu Okanlawon Aregbesola was quoted as speaking during an on-the-spot assessment of the damage caused by the clash between the youths of the two warring communities frowned at the level of destruction of property in the towns.

He berated the two communities for falling short of the ethos of ‘omoluabi’ that the state is promoting by not taking to dialogue before resulting to destruction of property and the commerce of the communities.

The governor pointed out that the renewal of peace within the two communities will return the commerce of the towns that has been grounded by the communal clash.

According to him, “we have all seen what crises and communal clash can bring, what we can gain is nothing but loss, agony, pain and the gnashing of teeth. we should now see reasons why we should not engage in in-fighting ourselves.

“If we are sure that we are not going to gain any development from it, why should we hurt ourselves. I am happy that peace has returned to the two communities.

“I will now go back to set up a committee having seen the extent of damage. The committee will be given 6 weeks to come out with its findings and recommendations after which we will ensure lasting solution”. He emphasised.

He associated the use of youths to fight in a communal clash as a manifestation of what unemployment can cause, saying that the clash was more fuelled as a result of the level of unemployment in the town.

The governor assured the two communities that the February 14 elections which the All Progressive Congress APC will win, will put an end to unemployment.

He stressed that government can only thrive in an atmosphere of peace urging them to learn from what is happening in some parts of the Northern part of the country where insurgents have taken over.

Aregbesola noted that with the activities of insurgents in some parts of the North-east, no investors will want visit the place, thus affecting the commerce of such states.