Osun 2018: Aspirants kick as APC declares Aregbesola’s Chief of Staff, Oyetola winner of governorship ticket

Alhaji Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola has been declared winner of the Osun All Progressives Congress governorship primary, ahead of the 22 September election in the state.

In the direct primary which held on Friday, the incumbent Chief of Staff polled  127,017 votes as against his closest rival and Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, Yusuf Lasun who scored 21,000. Speaker of the Osun House of Assembly  Nojeem Salaam came third.

Oyetola, who is a cousin to the national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has been Governor Aregbesola’s chief of staff since 2010.

Announcing the results at about 10:45 pm on Friday at the party’s secretariat in Osogbo Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege said Oyetola, scored 127,017 votes.

Omo-Agege, who represented Gov. Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara, the Chairman of the Election committee, said that Mr Lasun Yussuff, Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives came second with 21,975 votes.

” Having won the majority votes, I declared Adegboyega Isiaka Oyetola as the official flag bearer for the Sept. 22 governorship election”, Omo-Agege said.

He commended all other aspirants for displaying maturity during the exercise.

Omo-Agege who described the election as a family contest, said there was no victor and no vanquished.

The direct primary was conducted in 332 wards across the state.

Meanwhile, some aspirants have expressed their dissatisfaction at the process, with some insisting to challenge it in court.

One of the aspirants, who participated in the primary, Mr. Kunle Adegoke, (popularly called K-Rad) described the exercise as a charade, saying it was skewed to favour the winner.

Adegoke said, “What we experienced in Osun today is not a primary in any way. It was a charade and it was in contravention of basic tenets of democracy.

“I will not dump the party because of the issues. I will remain in the party and correct this anomaly by challenging the process in court.”

He lamented that the party conducted the primary without a verifiable membership database despite using the direct primary method instead of a delegate system.

He also alleged that hoodlums were used to harass and coerce members of the party to vote for Oyetola and that those that resisted were beaten by the thugs.

Among the 17 aspirants who contested for the party’s ticket, several withdrew at the last minute. They were Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, who is the Secretary to State Government, Sen. Babajide Omoworare, representing Osun East at the Senate and Mr Peter Babalola, Chairman of State Civil Service Commission.