Osun: Day International Missions Sought Way Forward For Electoral Processes

In post-assessment of the Osun state governorship election, some international missions in Nigeria, recently demonstrated readiness to cooperate with stakeholders’ quest for credible, peaceful and successful polls, as well as resist moves that could jeopardise all preparations as the build- up to the 2019 general elections gathers momentum. JOHN NWOKOCHA reports

Both the International Republican Institute IRI and National Democratic Institute NDI have urged political parties and democracy stakeholders contesting the outcome of the September 22 governorship election in Osun state to stop making statements that could heat up the Nigerian polity. Against the backdrop of the build -up of tension arising from the result of the polls, the IRI and NDI had said in their pre-election assessment “we are in Nigeria now because the pre-election environment is critical to the over -all process, adding that “the assessment seeks to support Nigerian efforts to make the 2019 elections participatory, transparent and credible.”

The result of the governorship polls in which Gboyega Oyetola of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, was declared winner has been generating deafening noises in the state, and in the country as the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which observers said was in close contest is disputing the outcome. The PDP led in the results announced by INEC in the first ballot. But in the supplementary election which was necessitated by irregularities and electoral malpractices, according to INEC, the APC candidate emerged winner.

Expectedly, outrage has trailed the result. Blueprint recalls that the PDP fired the first salvo, demanding cancellation of the poll or declare its candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke winner of the election. National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, has said during a press conference in Abuja, it has evidence to show that the election results were doctored.

“With INEC’s fraudulent conduct in the Osun governorship election, and approval that a concluded election be declared inconclusive, the PDP and indeed all well-meaning Nigerians no longer have confidence in Prof. Yakubu.

“It is completely inexcusable that Prof. Yakubu presides over an atrocious and compromised electoral umpire that manipulates electoral processes, doctors figures, allocates fictitious votes and subverts the will of the people in an election.

“The PDP has additional documentary evidence of how this compromised INEC, through its Operations and ICT Department, doctored results from polling centers, directly shortchanged the PDP with no fewer than 4,387 votes by slashing votes cast for the PDP at the polling centers while allocating fictitious figures to the APC.

“The PDP has facts on how INEC slashed over 1,000 votes freely cast by the people for our candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke, in Ayedaade Local Government Area, just to reduce our votes from our legitimate 10,836 votes cast at the polling centers to 9,836 votes so as to give APC the lead with a 1,000 vote margin in the local government.

“Also, the PDP has evidence of how INEC, while collating results, directly allocated over 1,367 fictitious votes to the APC in Olorunda Local Government Area, to fraudulently shore up the APC votes to duplicitous 16,254 votes.

“This is in addition to evidence of how INEC awarded over 2,000 fictitious votes in favour of the APC in Osogbo to push APC’s vote to 23,379 against the actual 21,479 votes scored by the defeated party,” the PDP said.

Last week, the leadership of the PDP, led by its National Chairman, Uche Secondus, protested what it described as ‘fraud’, ‘broad day robbery’, heightening tension and intrigues in the country’s political space. The protesting group comprised Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Deputy Senate President,Ike Ekweremadu, Senator Dino Melaye, and a host of other members,to avert eruption of violence in the state that could mar efforts towards credible, peaceful and successful polls.