As the 2018 governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti States draws near, all eyes are on the Independent National Electoral Commission and the newly elected Adams Oshiomhole led National Working Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to do things as clearly stipulated by both the commission and party’s guidelines.
While the election in Ekiti is scheduled to hold on July 14, Osun is due for September 22.
However, despite INEC’s clear scheduling and early release of the timetable for the Osun governorship election, some camps within the APC for obvious selfish motives are calling for a shift in the commencement of election activities.
Recall that INEC had in May released official timetable for the conduct of the September 22 governorship election in the state.
The newly-appointed Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Osun State, Mr Olusegun Agbaje specifically said election activities would commence on June 23 with the release of “Notice of Election’’ by INEC.
According to him, “Political parties would commence public campaign on June 24 while candidates for elections and their parties would have the opportunities to obtain forms at INEC headquarters from June 25.
“The party primaries and resolution of disputes arising from the primaries would hold from June 24 to July 23.
“The last day for withdrawal of candidate(s) and replacement of withdrawn candidate(s) by political parties would be August 8 while the last day for the submission of nomination forms would be August 22.
However, instead of fitting into the schedule above and commence campaigns as soon as possible to further make winning the election easy, some selfish politicians within the APC are calling for a shift to allow for an abuse of the entire process.
But their selfish yearnings might be met with a brick wall because the APC has a tradition of conducting its primaries on Saturday and the only Saturday suitable is July 7 as Ekiti election takes place the following Saturday which is July 14.
The forthcoming Osun primary poll is a litmus test for Osiomhole and his new team. Will he do the billing of his masters and manipulate the primary in favour of Tinubu’s cousin? Will he change the party’s winning formula that worked in Anambra, Ondo and Ekiti? Will he organize a free and fair primary, surpassing his predecessors records of uniting the party after primary?
Only time will tell…
