– rejects ‘this violent sham operation called supplementary poll’
Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has described the ongoing rerun election in seven units in the state as a ‘coup.’
He spoke with Punch correspondent on telephone, alleging that supporters of the PDP were being denied access to ballot papers in the exercise.
He said: “What is happening in Osun State now is not an election. What we have is a coup. That is what we are witnessing now.
Our supporters are being harassed and are not allowed to vote at all. Let the whole world know that this is not the democracy.”
We reject this violent sham operation called supplementary poll ― Adeleke Campaign Organisation
Further in a statement, the Adeleke Campaign Organisation rejected the result of the Osun Rerun election, tagging it “ this violent sham operation”.
It said that the supplementary poll was a non-event as all norms of the electoral process were violated.
According to the statement: “We report to the whole world the brazen theft and daylight swindling of Osun people who were criminally denied their rights to vote and be voted for by an anti-people conspiracy among INEC, security agencies and the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).
An unprecedented travesty of justice and shattering democratic values are ongoing in Osun State.
The whole world is witnessing a charade in the name of an election, a deliberate effort at the imposition of a discredited leadership on the suffering people of Osun state through undisguised brutal force.
Applying all standards, today’s supplementary poll is a non-event as all norms of the electoral process are violated.
Voters are deliberately refused access to polling points at gun points. Those allowed to voting centres are forced to vote for APC.
PDP party agents are arrested, beaten up and shut out of polling centres. PDP agents are barred from many units. Roads are blocked to stop voters and observers.
Journalists and election monitors are blocked from accessing many voting areas. Those who attempted gaining access are attacked by hooded thugs. PDP leaders are hounded and arrested.
It was a brutal unleashing of force against unarmed election stakeholders.
We report to the whole world that in Osun today no supplementary poll took place. It was all violence and undisguised breaching of all electoral rules.
The APC is pushing violently to steal people’s mandate freely given by the oppressed people of Osun state.
We condemn this charade; we reject this violent operation called election. We dissociate ourselves from this brazen shame and sham election.
We stand on the mandate freely given to Ademola Adeleke. We will uphold the people’s mandate through all legal means. We will not succumb to fascist agents hell-bent on plunging the state into chaos.
We call on the international community to monitor happenings in Osun state. A major political tragedy is underway with huge consequence for the nation.”
Drama at polling units as voters defy downpour
There was mild drama at Polling Unit 17, Ward 5, Adewale Street, Alekuwodo, Osogbo, when voters refused to quit the queue despite a heavy downpour.
The election process started at 8 am on Thursday but at 9:12am, there was heavy downpour which halted the process.
The sudden rainfall had everybody running for cover but voters already on queue, who initially ran for cover, quickly returned when they noticed that others who refused to take cover had moved forward to replace them.
By the time the rain subsided, all the voters on queue were already drenched.
The voting, however, continued at 9:30 am when everyone including INEC staff, security, media men and others, had returned to their posts.
Earlier, some middle-aged men and an elderly woman who came with Permanent Voter Cards from another unit had attempted to cast their votes but were disallowed by vigilant security and party agents.
Massive turnout in Kajola village, Orolu
There was massive turnout of voters in Kajola village in Orolu local government areaas eligible voters were seen casting their ballots.
Though, the exercise was peaceful, there was heavy security presence at Kajola village and hamlets, with soldiers in military vans code-named OP Avaste, anti-riot policemen and operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS), fully armed. There was no Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), agent at Ward 8, Unit 1, Kajola village.
At the village, from the turning close to the palace of Olufon, some of the residents lamented that security agents and some fierce looking thugs were preventing them from entering Kajola village, where they register to cast their votes.
Voters turn out, defy rain at Garage Olode
Though the terrain was swampy, soldiers and anti-riot policemen vans managed to access the village, while one of the buses used by the politicians to convey voters got stuck as some thugs smoking Indian hemp were spotted struggling to get the bus out of the way to allow security vans and other vehicles to pass.
However, there were votes buying being perpetrated in a discreet manner as some voters, who wanted to cast their ballots for a particular party were tying white handkerchiefs on their wrists, using cello-tape to show their identities.
Speaking during an interview with journalists, the President of Women Arise, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Mrs Joe Odumakin described the process as peaceful.
Nigerian Tribune
#OsunRerun: Voters turn out, defy rain at Garage Olode
September 27, 2018
September 27, 2018 Tribune Online Latest News
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VotersVoters in their large numbers, turned out to vote at the Adenreti Unit 7, Ward 12, Garage Olode, in Saturday’s governorship rerun election, defying the rain.
The voters, who had converged on the polling centre before the 8am time set for the commencement of the voting exercise, demonstrated uncommon resolve when most of them refused to seek cover from the rain. Present at the unit were hordes of security operatives, local and international election observers.
The election that originally took place on Saturday, September 22, 2018, was declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday, September 23.
This was because the victory margin of 353 votes of first-placed candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke (254,698 votes) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) over second-placed Gboyega Oyetola (254,345 votes) of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) was less than the 3,498 votes cancelled in seven polling units.
The seven polling units are Ife North, Ward 10, PU2; Ife South, Olode Ward 07, PU12, Adereti Village; Ife South Osi Ward 8 PU10, Aluti Erin Primary School, Albert village; Orolu Ward 08 PU001, Kajola village; Orolu Ward 08 PU004 Idi Iya village; Orolu Ward 09 PU 003 Gbogbo Primary School Adeleke; Osogbo Ataoja Ward 05 PU 017 Adewale Street.
There’s a total of 3,498 registered voters in the affected polling units.
All the shops in the capital Osogbo were locked and only a few bikes plied the roads.
Punch/Pulse/NAN/Nigerian Tribune
