Big Trouble For APC In Osun As 12 Out Of 17 Guber Aspirants Reject Voting Method To Determine Party Candidate

Twelve out of the seventeen screened gubernatorial
aspirants for Osun Governorship race have rejected the direct
mode of primary election as proclaimed by the National
Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC),
Comrade Adams Oshiomole.

The party leaders also

backed the purported removal of
Gboyega Famodun and Alhaji Rasaq Salinsile as State
Chairman and Secretary of APC as declared by 11 out of 16
members of State Working Committee of the party.
Speaking through Osun West Senatorial leader, Chief Yinusa
Akintola Amobi, at a press conference addressed held at
senatorial office in Iwo, the aspirants insisted that the
mothod with which other elections had been conducted in
recent should also be used for July 19th 2018 APC primary
election in the state.

Flanked by all senatorial leaders from Osun West including
party stats officers, state lawmakers from the zone,
Aregbesola cabinet members, local government party
chairmen, special advisers, 25 local government chairmen
and councillors, women leaders, youth leaders across the
state among others, Amobi warned the National secretariat of
the party to rescind it’s earlier decision to use direct mode of
primary election if it does not want to lose the state to
opposition.

He explained that all the 12 aspirants from the zone had met
and resolved that delegate system should be used for them
that anything short of this would not be tolerated.
Amobi said the senatorial is rejecting the direct mode of
primary because there is no verifiable data base of APC
members register for each units and electoral wards as it
obtained in INEC voters register.

He said further that there is no ascertained APC party
membership/strenght in the state while APC party
membership registration has never been updated since 2014.
According to him, “adoption of open primaries will lead to
chaos of an unimaginable magnitude which would definitely
weaken the party strength, resolution of which might not be
achieved until 2019 general election.

“It should be stressed at this point that there are more than
the aforementioned reasons why Osun State should not be
lost to the opposition in the pursuit of ulteriorly motivated
request of some powers that be who have lavishly enjoyed
our strong and unwavering supports for the upward of a
decade.”

The party stakeholders further argued that had the National
Secretariat of APC insist on direct primary, it should have
started it with the election of Adams Oshiomole stressing that
the only way for Osun APC to win September 22nd 2018
governorship race is to zone the slot to Osun West and use
delegate system mode of primary in the conduct of party
primary slated for July 19th 2018.

Among the aspirants present at the conference were, Alhaji
Moshood Adeoti, Dr. Peter Babalola, Alhaji Saka Layoonu,
Hon. Gafar Amere, Hon. Najeem Salami, Engr. Mumini
Olabanji, Mr Dayo Oyebanji while party stalwarts included
Hon. Patricia Etteh, Senator Mudasiru Hussein, Barr.
Gbadegesin Adedeji, Alhaji Gbadebo Ajao, Hon Ayo Omidiran
Alhaji Sule Alao, commissioners, Special Advisers, local
government chairmen and sympathizers from other
senatorial district.

The National Chairman of the party had on Monday
announced the adoption of Direct party primary for the
emergence of the party’s flag bearer slated for 19th Thursday
19th July saying it would facilitate the participation of all
party members in the decision of who becomes the party’s
candidate.

Amobi called on the National Working Committee of the
party to revert the proclamation of direct party primaries for
the conduct of the election without delay to avoid devastating
effect for the party.

The District according to him demanded for the usage of
delegates system for picking the party’s flag bearer not for
selfish interest adding that it is aimed at ensuring the
representation of teaming and committed members of the
party in the choice of their candidate.

While supporting the action of 11 state working committee
that announced the suspension in office of the party
chairman and secretary for the state, Akintola said since they
were not part of the signatories to the purported letter
requesting for direct primary for the conduct of the election,
there is obvious attempt at imposing a candidate on members
of the party.