The governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the State of Osun, has been described as a mockery of democracy and an exercise marred with irregularities.
According to the Coalition of Civil Societies of Nigeria, the election lacked international best practices and fell short of appreciable standard.
This is as the Alhaji Rasaq Salinsile led faction of the APC in the State has rejected the result of the governorship primary elections held last Saturday.
Speaking at a stakeholders meeting held at Oranmiyan House, Osogbo, Salinsile noted that the primary was a charade, ruse and sham.
While addressing the NUJ Correspondents’ chapel, the Coalition of Civil Societies of Nigeria said the APC primary was grossly marred by violence, issues of electoral irregularities, lack of sensitive materials like result sheet, operational and logistical challenges, security issues among others.
Presenting a communique on their observation of the election, the leader of the team, Patrick Usman of Centre for Development of Democracy and Good Governance in Nigeria, said the election was biased, recommending that the national secretariat of the APC should investigate the irregularities reported in the election.
Some of the identified irregularities, according to the CSOs are lack of accreditation in the wards where they observed the election, non-availability of result sheet, disenfranchisement of voters, among others.
The communique reads in part: “In majority of the wards where we visited in the affected local governments, there was no accreditation. In few places where accreditation held, it was a shambolic show, filled with pretence. Ward 15, Oyan, Odo-Otin LG, Ward 5, Apomu, Isokan LG, Ward 8, Ilesa East LG, Ward 8, Ayetoro, Osogbo LG, Ward 2, 4 and 5 also in Osogbo LG and other places are examples of these irregularities.
“Our team observed and noted that there was generally non-availability of result sheets at the wards where we observed the election. In some cases, ordinary A4 papers and official letter head of the party were used instead.
“We don’t know who who is who, but there are complaints from party members that government officials who are appointed by the Governor (who is also an aspirant in the election) were used as Returning Officers instead of the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). There was no INEC official in all the wards.
“Violence was recorded in some voting centres in some of the wards. In Osogbo, Boripe, Ede, Ilesa East and Oriade LGs, thugs were stationed at every ward and electorates were chased away from the voting centres.
“Of note is the disruptions of election in Ward 1 (Dispensary, Erin-Oke), 7 (Town Hall, Ikeji-Arakeji) and 9 (Afinbiokin Hall, Ipetu-Ijesa) of Oriade Local Government Area, Ward 7, Ikeji-Owena and Ward 9, Ipetu-Ijesa. There were several gunshots at Ward 7 (St. Johns Pry Sch, Loro/Roye), Ilesa, Ilesa East Local Government Area.
“At Ward 6, Sabo Agbongbe, Ede, a former Chairman of Ede North Local Council Development Area, Com. Mukaila Uthman was shot by armed thugs during the primary election. Election could not hold in Gidigbo Ward 2, Post Office Area, Iwo, Iwo local government area of because of violence too.
The CSOs concluded that: “The election fell short of acceptable international standard as it was grossly marred by violence, issues of electoral irregularities, lack of sensitive materials like result sheets, operational and logistical challenges, security issues among others.
“Party primaries are to be free, fair and credible as it is the basis for good governance. The election is a mockery of democracy and a suppression of peoples will. The primary election cannot stand the scrutiny or parameters for a free and fair election.”
Alhaji Salinsile stated that the primary election was fraught with fraud and manipulation, insisting that: “We put on record the fact that there were so many anomalies, all of which incidentally, we had made known before Saturday’s event.
“We put on record that as at the day of election, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, our governorship aspirant, was not allowed to have access to the membership register with which the exercise took place.
“By this, he was denied knowledge of how many members the party had as at the day of the election which is contrary to morality and the law.
“We put on record the fact that many people were disenfranchised, as APC members who trooped to the election centres with their membership slips, could not find their names on the register.
“Contrary to the guidelines, accreditation did not take place in many election centres while result sheets were unavailable.
“The appointees of Governor Gboyega Oyetola were the appointed electoral officers and supervisors of the exercise.
“We note that there were over voting in some areas while the much talked about presence of Independent National Electoral Commission INEC was far-fetched.
“Many members who were not part of Governor Oyetola’s Ileri Oluwa group were chased away from the election centres by thugs and hoodlums hired by government agents.
“Prior to the Saturday’s high level display of impunity called election, we have had to call on Governor Oyetola to resign from membership of the National Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (NCECPC) as it runs against morality and the law.
“That position was used by Governor Oyetola to get so many things manipulated in the process leading to conduct of the primary, including the furtive change of date of the exercise.
“We are therefore convinced that justice has not been served and therefore reject the result and will be approaching the Appeal Committee to be set up by the National Secretariat.”
