Osun APC primaries : Aspirant faults process, accuses party of imposition

By Owolabi Labode

A leading gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of  All Progressives Congress, APC, in Osun state, Barrister Kunle Adegoke has faulted the process of primary election of the party slated for tomorrow,  July 19 for lack of proper procedure and guidelines. 

The aspirant made this known during  a press conference at the Correspondents' chapel of the NUJ in Osogbo,  the Osun State capital. 

Adegoke  alleged the party leadership of imposition of candidate, saying plans have been concluded to impose the Chief of Staff to the Governor  of the state, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola on the party as the party flag bearer. 

According to him,  the pronouncement of the National Working Committee of the party,  which endorsed the direct system of primaries was short of ideal procedure and what the party constitution stipulates.

"For the National Executive Committee of the party to approve any guideline,  it must sit in a meeting of which seven days notice must have been given to the members prior to its holding. In the present circumstance,  while the National Working Committee of our party sat Monday July 16th instant,  there is no sufficient time to convene a meeting of the NEC before July 19th.

"Less than 24 hours to the novel direct primary election, no guideline have been issued by the National Working Committee with the approval of the National Executive Committee to guide all aspirants and voters. It is clear that there are no rules in form of guidelines to even govern the election. It is a game without rules, which is an advance notice of an imminent chaos.

"In as much as the Chairman,  Adams Oshiomole's argument on the direct primary was sound, it was  dogged by certain constitutional, legal, political and moral challenges which simply expose the leadership of the party as being less law-abiding than expected.

"It is certain that INEC cannot mobilise at least 332 personnel to monitor the direct primary election in the 332 wards in the state. 

"If the election would be conducted through and supervised by the compromised officials of government who are already prominent campaigners of the state-anointed aspirant, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, then, military dictatorship cannot be less democratic as the determination of the present government in determining it's successor is more than glaring", he said. 

Adegoke added that the party has no credible and reliable membership register to ensure credible exercise, adding that no one amongst the 17 aspirants has access to the membership register  less than 24 hours to the primary.

Adegoke also alleged that supporters of the "state-anointed aspirant",  Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola has been threatening supporters of other aspirants not to appear at the ballot centres except if they are ready to vote in their favour. 

"It would be impressive for our 'democratic' National Chairman, Adams Oshiomole, to deepen democratic ethos in the party by applying direct primaries to all other elections like National Assembly, State Assembly, and governorship in all states so that our members can be more involved in the new-found democratic process of direct primaries.

"Any attempt to change the rule after Osun state gubernatorial election would only expose the military National Chairman as less than honest but hypocritical which I want to believe he is not".