Osun state government in southwest Nigeria says the ongoing rehabilitation of Ede waterworks is aimed at enhancing water distribution to thirteen local government areas of the state.
Special adviser to osun state governor on water resources, Mrs. Tawakalitu Williams stated this in Osogbo, the state capital while speaking with newsmen on the level of development at the waterworks.
Mrs Williams, who noted that the rehabilitation had reached completion stage, explained that the waterworks had been furnished with twelve new water pump and 50kv generator as well as four transformers to ensure stable electricity supply to the waterworks.
She hinted that people of Ile Ife, Ilobu and Gbongan have been enjoying stable water supply due to the rehabilitation of the waterworks.
While noting that efforts were in top gear to replace damaged pipelines, the special adviser said the damaged pipes across the state had hindered adequate supply of water to some areas in the state.
She urged consumers to always pay their water bill to improve state internally generated revenue adding that government was committed to the promotion of welfare of citizenry.
RADIO NIGERIA

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us

Save

The expert witness of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the August 9 election in Osun State, Mr Samuel Oduntan has confirmed to the state Election Petition Tribunal that there was no any discrepancies in the results of the election he analysed for his principal.
The witness who had claimed to be a statistician early in his witness statement also made a u-turn while giving oral evidence before the Elizabeth Ikpejime-led tribunal on Thursday and confessed that he was not a registered statistician.
He said he used Certified True Copies (CTCs) and duplicates of the results forms of the election which had earlier been tendered by the petitioners and he found no discrepancies in the course of his analysis .
Omisore and the PDP are challenging the August 9 re-election of Governor Rauf Aregbesola and the All Progressive Congress (APC), while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was joined as a party.
The witness who had stated in his written deposition that no voting point was created in the polling units being challenged by the petitioner, was confronted with the result forms of some of the units and he quickly made a u-turn that voting points were created, but not based on 300 voters per voting points.
Being drilled by the INEC counsel, Mr Ayotunde Ogunleye, the expert said, “I am not a registered statistician. In this kind of two analysis I have done in the past, those who employed me did not win the case.‎
“I did a similar analysis in the case of Kogi State and submitted the report, but it was not tendered for the case.
“I am not from Osun, neither did I monitor the election, but I was employed by the petitioners to do the analysis of the election materials”, he confimed.
Also answering question from the APC counsel, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), Oduntan said “in his comparison of the duplicates result forms given to the petitioners and the CTC of the forms, I found no discrepancies. I didn’t say I found any discrepancies.
The witness who had also claimed in his statement that the result forms he analysed were not stamped nor signed, confirmed to the tribunal that he did not see the original copies of the documents to ascertain whether they were signed or not.
Osinbajo subsequently confronted the witness with the fact that there were a lot of errors in his report of the purported analysis, which he denied.
While also being cross-examined by Aregbesola counsel, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), the expert witness confirmed that inspite of the fact that not all the polling units and wards in the 17 local governments in contention are being challenged, he based his analysis on all the wards and units of the 17 councils.
Earlier, the INEC counsel had objected to the admissibility of the report of the purported analysis of the expert, saying the document is inadmissible under section 84 (2 and 4) of the Evidence Act.
He argued that the document was a computer-generated evidence. Before it can be admitted, it must be accompanied by certificate of identification of the device through which it was made.
The tribunal reserved ruling on the admissibility of the documents, but marked it as exhibit.
Other witnesses who testfied after the expert witness were Adebisi Gbolagade who was the PDP Collation Agent for Ifelodun Local Government and Wasiu Olaitan, the PDP supervisor for Ward 4 of the local government.
Gbolagade said his party did not have party agents in many of the 105 polling units in the local government, inspite the facts that the agents signed the result forms.
He also confirmed to the court that all the PDP agents in all the wards submitted the result forms to him.
Olaitan also said he was not the one that signed the result form tendered by the petitioners’ counsel as the ward 4 collation agent, even though the document was signed.
OSUN DEFENDER

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us

Save

Hearing on the petition challenging the victory of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in the August 9 Gubernatorial election in the state of Osun continued on Saturday 22/11/2014 with tendering of voters register for Atakunmosa East, Boripe and Ede North Local Government.
There were a lot of serious observations raised by the counsel to Respondents ranging from missing pages in the register to certification of several pages of the register sought to be tendered and pencil inscriptions on all the pages of the document.
Specifically, In Atakunmosa East Local Government, the petitioner sought to tender voters register in ward 2,3,4,6,7, and 8. Apart from the facts that inscriptions were on all the pages, unit 3 of ward 6 has a missing front page.
In Boripe Local Government, the petitioner sought to tender voters register in wards 1-5. Apart from pencil inscriptions on all the pages of the register, ward 1unit 4 and ward 3 unit 3 have no page 1.
In Ede North Local Government, petitioner sought to tender voters register in 11 wards. Apart from the usual pencil inscription on all the pages of the register, INEC Counsel, Ayo Ogunleye Esq observed that ward 4 unit 004 pages 15,40,43,44,45,46,47,48 and 50 are missing while page 51 bears no certification.
Ward 5 unit 003 pages 31-41 are missing, while in unit 008 of ward 9 page 80 is missing.
The final straw was the observation that in unit 001 of ward 9, pages 20-29 have no certification. The documents were admitted in evidence subject to the objection of the Respondents being incorporated at the final address.
The learned Counsel for the Petitioner, informed court around 10am that they need a stand down till 3pm to enable them sort out other register from the remaining Local Government. The court granted the application after all the respondents indicated that they have no objection.
OSUN DEFENDER
Don’t Insult me, Aregbesola’s Counsel Tells Omisore’s Lawyer
Counsel to the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Professor Yemi Osibajo, SAN, has warned the lead counsel to Senator Iyiola Omisore, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate in the August 9 election in the state, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, against impugning the professional integrity of his team.
Osibajo was reacting to alleged consistent statements by Omisore’s counsel that Governor Rauf Aregbesola, APC and INEC legal teams were deliberately delaying the hearing of the petition filed against the election.
Uche, had at the continued hearing of the petition of Omisore and PDP against Aregbesola’s re-election before the Justice Elizabeth Ikpejime-led tribunal sought to tender the register of voters’ used in all the units and wards of the 17 local governments, including the ones not being challenged in the petition.
VANGUARD
 

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us

Save

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has described as saddening the death of popular entertainer and General Manager Unique FM Ilesa, Osun, Mr. Opeyemi Fajemileyin.

In a statement by the Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, Aregbesola described the death of Mr. Fajemilehin as one that has once again dealt a devastating blow to the media industry, particularly the broadcast section, robbing the country of another energetic man and a versatile journalist.

The Governor said the demise of the experienced Yoruba broadcaster will no doubt leave a huge vacuum in the media industry.

The statement said in part: “Once again, we have lost a very precious gift in the GM of Ara (Unique) FM. To say that his death has thrown us into a state of mourning is just a mild way of expressing our sorrow and sadness.

“Fajemilehin, in the past 25 years, practised journalism actively and distinguished himself among his peers as a thoroughbred professional. This made him and his programmes such as ‘Fajemilehin on FM’, ‘Pirilolongo Nji’ and Fajemilehin on the Rock,’ on Paramount FM 94.5, Abeokuta, darling of numerous homes across the South-West and other Yoruba-speaking places.

There is no contravening the fact that the nation, media world and particularly his Ara FM Radio Station, will miss Fajemilehin’s’s creative energy, love for the promotion  of our culture and managerial capacity.

On behalf of the myself, Government and people of Osun, I commiserate with his family colleagues and all his fans across Nigeria praying that may God admit him into complete eternal  rest.

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us

Save

It was a laughter at the State of Osun  Election Petition Tribunal on Wednesday November 19, 2014, as Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) witnesses indicted men of Nigerian Police Force of eating puff-puff and drinking beer during voting exercise on August 9 gubernatorial election in the state. The three man panel tribunal could not bear it as they all fell into derisive laughter.
It would be recalled that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s counsels are calling witnesses before the tribunal, challenging the victory of Governor Rauf Aregbesola of All Progressive Congress (APC). However, the court turned laughter when the 8th witness, Tajudeen Badmus, told the tribunal that policemen were eating puff-puff when under-age children were voting for APC on the day of election.
This is just as one Sikiru Olalekan, who was the 10th witness, alleged that police officers were drinking beer at a restaurant and were not available to receive voter’s complain. This development made the tribunal members to fall into uncontrollable laugh till the Chairman, Justice Elizabeth Ikpejime, said “they stepped the puff-puff down with beer.“
The witness who claimed to be a former member of Education board, when cross-examined by 1st respondent’s counsel, Femi Falana (SAN), admitted that there was a restriction of movement on the election day, insisting that the restaurant was opened at the back. Also, another witness, who claimed to be a supervisor for ward 8, Olorunda Local Government, Akin Akande, alleged that he was forced by over 400 people to sign form EC8A.
During cross-examination by Falana, Akande denied that Dagbolu is far to Kolabalogun, insisting that all the 12 units in ward 8 are very near to each other and he covered them. The witness however stated that Dagbolu, Steel rolling company and Kola Balogun are in the same ward and they are not far to each other.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Police Force was not joined in the suit by the petitioner.
 
Omisore’s Witnesses Run Away From Court
Apparently scared of the damaging questions from counsel to the respondents in the petition of Senator Iyiola Omisore against the re-election of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, some of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) witnesses ran away on Wednesday.
The witnesses were in court during the morning session, but in the afternoon session, when they were expected to give evidence before the tribunal,none of them show up.
When tribunal members resumed from the break at exactly 2:30 pm, the PDP legal team discovered that the witnesses have disappeared into thin air.
Subsequently, some members of the PDP legal team, including Otunba Ojo Williams quickly rushed out of the court, running helter skelter, making calls to get the witnesses back to the court.
Subsequently, the lead counsel of the petitioner, Mr Chris Uche (SAN) appealed profusely to the court for the delay, as the witnesses were not on ground, admitting that “this is not good for us at all”.
When the delay was becoming unbearable, the tribunal Chairman stood down the case, rose and ask the petitioners’ counsel to inform them when they were ready with their witness.
It took about 15 minutes before the legal team could get the witnesses back to court after several appeals and assurances.
After the witnesses were gotten back to court, the tribunal resumed sitting and the petitioners continued calling of their witnesses.
A source said the witnesses deliberately ran away because they were scared of what they would face from the Aregbesola’s counsel having heard from witnesses who had earlier given evidence.
BIOREPORT

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us

Save

Osun state government has restated its commitment to the urban renewal project of the present administration.
The state governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola stated this in Oshogbo while declaring open a two day conference of directors and heads of town planning organizations in Nigeria organized by the state government and federal ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, held in Oshogbo.
Speaking on the theme of the conference “Contemporary Development Agenda and Physical Planning in Nigeria”, Mr. Aregbesola who was represented by the head of service, Mr. Yinka Owoeye said the conference was timely coming at a time when proper planning  was needed to move the country forward.
In a keynote address, Minister of lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi who was represented by a director in the ministry, Alhaji Abubakar Yewa urged participants at the conference to address salient issues confronting the task of planning the environment.

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us

Save

The Osun State Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Bola Ajao, has told the Election Petition Tribunal in Osogbo that voters were allowed to be accredited and voted freely on the August 9 governorship election.
Also, a chieftain of the party, Gbadebo Adeyemo, who is the third witness in the petition filed by the party and his candidate in the August 9 gubernatorial election, Senator Iyiola
Omisore,  on Tuesday informed  the tribunal that incompetent policemen  were deployed to his polling unit in Osogbo Local Government Area.
Ajao stated this before the tribunal while giving evidence at the continued hearing of the petition filed by Omisore and his party, the PDP, against the re-election of Governor Rauf Aregbesola and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
While being cross-examined by Aregbesola’s counsel, Chief Charles Edosonwan, the APC counsel, Chief Yomi Aliu, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) counsel, Mr.
Ayotunde Ogunleye, Ajao who was the petitioners’ first witness, said his claim as to the alleged rigging of the election were not witnessed by him, adding that: “I was told by my party agents.”
Responding to questions by Edonsonwan, he said: “I got to my Ward 8, unit 9 of Ifelodun Local Government Area at about 6:30a.m. on the election day, accreditation started by 8a.m. and voting started at about 12:30pm.
“I pass through the same process and I voted on that. I did not leave my unit until after the election. My party lost in my polling unit. My
testimonies on other units that our party is challenging are based on what I was told by my agents. I was not there.
“Omisore contested for a senatorial slot in 2011, but lost along with other candidates of the party. We did not challenge the election in court. I don’t know the number of polling units we are challenging.”
While being cross-examined by the INEC counsel, Ajao said he followed all the processes required from accreditation to voting, adding that after accreditation, people were allowed to vote.
Also answering question from APC counsel, the witness confirmed to the tribunal that all the result sheets for each of the local government areas in contention were signed by PDP supervisors on the election day.
The second and third witnesses, Mr. Kolapo Sikiru and Gbadebo Adeyemo, who claimed to be PDP ward supervisors in Ward 1 and 2 of Osogbo Local Government Area respectively, confirmed that their polling agents signed the result forms for each of the units except few.
Contrary to his claim that the result sheets of unit 2,3,4 and 5 of Ward 2, were not signed by his party agent, as deposed to in his witness statement, Gbadebo was confronted with the duplicate result
for the units that were tendered by the petitioners’ counsel which bore the signature of the agents and the witness was dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, at a point, there were altercations between counsel to the petitioners and the first respondents, as the former accused the latter of interjecting the cross-examination of the witnesses at the detriment of the 20 minutes permitted to cross-examine the witness.
The intervention of the tribunal judges brought the altercations under control.
Addressing journalists after the sitting, the first and third respondents’ counsel, Edosonwan and Ogunleye respectively, said the
testimonies of the petitioners’ witnesses had vindicated the respondents that the petition has no merit.
They were optimistic that more of such vindication would unfold in the course of cross-examining other witnesses.
The tribunal was on break as at the time of filling this report.
FG Deployed Incompetent Policemen To My Ward — PDP Witness
A chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who is the third witness in the petitioned filed by the party and his candidate in the August 9 gubernatorial election, Senator Iyiola Omisore, on Tuesday told the tribunal that incompetent policemen were deployed to his polling unit in Osogbo Local Government.
Gbadebo Adeyemo, a retired civil servant, during cross-examination by counsel to the third respondent, Barrister Ayotunde Ogunleye said contrary to the deployment of heavy security to man the election in the state, incompetent police officers were stationed in his polling unit at Isale-Osun area, Osogbo.
He alleged that INEC officials prevented his party’s agent from staying at the polling unit, insisting that the election was marred by irregularities.
When asked why he did not report the development to security personnel, he said only incompetent police were around, alleging that they worked with the direction of INEC officials.
Adeyemo who claimed to be a supervisor, denied that he wore PDP shirt with members of his party on the day of election.
Also testifying before the panel, Kolapo Sikiru, expressed dismay when he was shown Form EC8B and asked if he was the one that signed it.
During cross-examination by respondents’ counsel, Sikiru said, “I’m afraid of this court. I’m not the one that signed this. I’m a prince and I don’t tell lie.”
He said the signature in the voters’ register form EC8A were not the same, denying that all agents in ward 1 to 19 of Osogbo Local government have died.
When asked by counsel to the third respondents whether they are still alive, Sikiru said, “I didn’t receive information that anyone of them has died, and nobody wear PDP shirt on the day of election.

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us

Save

Governor Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola of Osun has declared that digital form of journalism has become an integral part of our cherished political legacy as it offers new scope and invaluable tool of ensuring the conduct of free and fair elections in the country.
Aregbesola, however advised that it should be explored and protected for the betterment of our electoral process and political life, noting that, it should be constitutionally made part of our electoral process.
The governor stated this today while speaking as a Guest Speaker at the official opening ceremony of the 2014 Ogun NUJ Press week.
The programme which was held at the Press Centre, Iwe Iroyin, Oke Ilewo, Abeokuta had media dignitaries from across the Southwest in attendance.
The governor, who was represented by the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Oluomo Sunday Akere spoke on the lecture titled: ‘Effectiveness of Journalism in a free and fair election: The Social Media advantage’. He explained the importance of digital journalism, especially as it affects elections in the country, adding that, it was part of what made him victorious during the last August governorship election Osun.
“A new frontier in press freedom has been opened with the advent of the internet and the social media. The internet offers new opportunity for freedom beyond the traditional reach of government clampdown. The internet has rightly observed, breaches and bridges the physical barriers once constituted by state borders. The internet, indeed, brings the world to a borderless state.
“The traditional print and electronic media functioned on information dissemination through restricted platforms in the sense that access to the platforms was controlled by their managers and their owners.
“On the other hand, they were also subject to easy crackdowns by governments. But today, the internet offers us a different world of freedom in digital information dissemination and sharing. The internet platform provides a virtual space of virtually unlimited access in which everybody can disseminate and share information and news to unlimited number of audience. What’s more, such information and news are made available at the click of a button.
“It is a platform of information dissemination in which the barriers of time and space collapses. So the social media form of journalism is a powerful tool that can enhance press freedom in many ways. It thus offers a valuable advantage in that, it can be used to improve our political life as well. And I dare say it has been proving useful in this regard.
“I am fully aware that in the just conclude gubernatorial election in the State of Osun, the social media and the internet made it more difficult for the forces of darkness in our midst to ply their accustomed trade of election manipulation and rigging.
“They played very good roles in making the results available to the public as they were being formally announced by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. The fact that the announced results were already in the public domain – thanks to internet journalism – made it almost impossible for the election be declared inconclusive as it was done during the June 12, 19993 elections.
“Therefore, the digital form of journalism has become part of our cherished political legacy. It offers a new era and an invaluable tool of ensuring the conduct of free and fair elections in the country. This is something we must further explore and protect for the betterment of our electoral process and our political life. Indeed, it is my belief that this should be constitutionally made a part of our electoral process.
“However, just as there are positives, there are also negatives on the internet. The internet offers a limitless opportunity for libel and falsehood. The kind of control possible in the print and electronic media does not exist on the internet. The internet therefore is also a veritable machine for election rigging. Recall the 2003 governorship election in Lagos when false results were posted on INEC’s website. While many thought that it was a deliberate action as a prelude to manipulating the result, INEC alleged that its website was hacked. The truth is in between.
“Just as updates on electoral situation are being streamed online in real time, so also is falsehood. Conscious efforts are being made to address this problem in other lands. Legal actions can be taken against false reports and some online publications owners have been sent to prison for deliberate falsehood. However, some publications
can still be anonymous and difficult to trace. Some publications can be put down by the internet service provider.
“These disadvantages notwithstanding, the positives overwhelm the negatives and the internet has extended the frontiers of freedom; it has helped pulled down dictatorships and will promote the cause of free and fair election if put to the right use.
“We must continue to insist on the freedom of the people to know as a fundamental human right. This is necessary for the consolidation of our democratic development,” Aregbesola posited.
In his remark at the event, the Chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Yussuph Olaniyonu, who is also the Ogun State Commissioner for Information and Strategy thanked the organisers for choosing the topic and the Guest Speaker, which according to him, put a round peg in a round hole.
“I am very happy that this hall is filled to the brim as the topic we are discussing affects everybody. If this topic is well treated and we all listen to very well, I am very sure that 60 per cent of our problems would have been solved.
“We all know that we are entering into an election year in the country, but yet, we have not understood how to elect our leaders. If we look at the development, especially, concerning the registration of voter’s cards, if you go around the centres, people are on ground but the fear is that are they going to be registered.
“I don’t even know whether I am going to vote next year because I have not got my card. When we talk about this problem, discuss it and x-ray it today, we would have surmounted one of the problems of election and move ahead to
others,” Olaniyonu stated.
The State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Ogun State chapter, Comrade Wole Sokunbi disclosed that this year’s event is a twin programme aiming at provides platform for all members to interact and recognize some members and well meaning Nigerian and also to raise fund for the construction of the permanent secretariat of Ogun NUJ.
The programme continues tomorrow with cultural activities where all members are enjoined to wear cultural attires.
The keynote address will also be delivered by the Osun State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Tourism and Culture, Hon. Sikiru Adetona Ayedun.
Programme for the fund raising of N150million construction of the permanent secretariat is slated for Wednesday at the new site, along Abiola way, Abeokuta while Thursday is for the Health walk and an Evening with Her Excellency, the wife of the State governor, Mrs Olufunsho Amosun.
The grand finale is billed for Friday evening after the Jumat prayer where some individuals and corporate organisations will be honoured.
PM NEWS

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us

Save

The Osun sector command of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) said on Tuesday that it issued 268 new number plates to motorists in the state in the month of October.
The Sector Commander, Mr Muhammad Husaini, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Osogbo.
Husaini said the figure was submitted to the commission by the state revenue board, the department responsible for number plates production.
He added that the figure covered number plates for cars, buses, articulated vehicles and motorcycles.
The sector commander said “the FRSC works in partnership with the state revenue board in registration and production of new number plates or upgrading of old ones by motorists.’’
He added that the FRSC was not a revenue generating body, so the duty of number plates production lied on the state under the supervision and co-ordination of the commission.
He, therefore, urged motorists to follow due process in number plate procurement and upgrading, noting that they could visit the command/commission for guidelines.
(NAN)

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us

Save

Comrade Waheed Lawal is the National Deputy Chairman (South West) of the National Conscience Party (NCP). The party was founded by the late legal icon, Chief Gani Fawehinmi. Lawal is also the Chairman of Alliance of Collaborating Political Parties in Osun State. In an interview, he spoke about the August 9, 2014 governorship election in Osun State, lauded the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the people of Osun State. Lawal restated his party’s decision not to join the All Progressives Congress (APC). Excerpts:

Your party, National Conscience Party (NCP) took part in the August 9, 2014 Osun State governorship election, and you were the party agent, but you did not go to the electoral tribunal to challenge your loss. Why?
Well, if you see that a process is free, fair and credible as well as transparent enough, there is no need to go to court to challenge the result. As the party agent of my party, we don’t need to embark on a fruitless exercise using our limited resources to pursue an ignoble cause. My party has congratulated the winner of that election, Governor Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola as we saw that the election was credible.
But the leading political opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) approached the electoral tribunal alleging irregularities, what do you have to say to this?
They are entitled to their opinion. At least 20 political parties and their candidates participated in the election and 12 out of the candidates and their parties have congratulated the winner. You may be doing some things to keep your followers. Another election is around the corner and there is need to prepare for it. If the party is using the electoral tribunal to keep their followers busy and longing for hope, it means that they have more resources to waste. All the political parties witnessed all the processes from the distribution of non-sensitive and sensitive materials with all the party agents carried along at every stage.
How would you rate the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in view of the August 9, governorship election in Osun State?
On the August 9 governorship election, INEC performed creditably well in Osun State. From the voters list, INEC gave all the political parties the soft and hard copies of the voters register. They even gave us three different times because when NCP wrote to complain about repetition of some names in Ife area, INEC corrected it and sent back the list to us to verify before the election.
There was no violence anywhere across the state except the one orchestrated in Ile-Ife.
The security was about to mar the election. They caused panic, pandemonium as the Department of State Security Service (DSSS) personnel’s who are supposed to be undercover entered Osun masked and they started shooting sporadically into the air to cause commotion and scare the populace from coming out. However, the people of Osun State are determined and they came out en mass to vote for Aregbesola as their Governor.
What is your take on the Minister of Police Affairs? Some people have accused him of partiality in the election.
The Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Jelili Adesiyan is supposed to be non-partisan but he showed clearly that he is partisan. He was seen following the governorship candidate of a party all over the town. The Minister of State for Defence Mr. Musuliu Obanikoro and himself were guilty of this.
As the Chairman of Alliance of Collaborating Political Parties in Osun State, what is the position of your group?
Having reviewed the whole process, the parties have congratulated the winner of the August 9, 2014 governorship election in Osun State, Governor Rauf Aregbesola as the process was free, fair, transparent and credible. The association have paid congratulatory visit to the winner promising to respect the wishes of the people of Osun. Whichever party we belong to, we are stakeholders in Osun project and we must ensure that the state progress. So, at the level of Alliance of Collaborating political parties, we have agreed that the election is free, fair and credible.
There are accusations in some quarters that political office holders, especially, legislators did not help the cause of Aregbesola in the build up to the election which made the PDP attack more vociferous. Some would not want their re-election, do you support this?
Don’t let us belabour the issue. We all know the role of the legislature. They are law makers. Whatever successes recorded today by Aregbesola’s administration was because the Legislators gave him an unflinching support. We should give them kudos as there were no crisis that could divert the attention of the man from providing the dividends of democracy to the people.
The National Assembly members from Osun State were bringing their resources from constituency projects together for the state development like the mega schools project being funded with their resources. It is not as business as before when members of the National Assembly would give money meant for the constituency project to their friends. The Assembly members now give attention to state development.
PDP did not rely on the performance or loyalty but as stated by the Vice President , Namadi Sambo that they want to capture Osun. This is not a military era when might or force is the solution. This is a signal that they want to harass them and take over but the people of Osun are resolutely with Aregbesola. PDP has their own agenda but we give glory to God for disgracing them in that election.
What are your expectations from Aregbesola after his inauguration on November 27, 2014?
Aregbesola has shown us that governance is a serious business. He has promised to work harder and performed the work of about 20 years ahead within the remaining four years of his tenure. I believe him and we believe he would take Osun State to a higher pedestal.
OSUN DEFENDER

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us

Save