...Demand Release Of Authentic Results
Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Obokun Local Government Area of Osun State on Thursday stormed the party’s state secretariat to demand the release of the authentic results of the State House of Assembly primaries.
The protesters, who staged a peaceful demonstration at the APC party secretariat in Osogbo along the Gbongan-Ibadan road, accused some party leaders of allegedly manipulating the outcome of the primary election conducted for Obokun State Constituency.
The protesters called on Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola and the Osun State Chairman of the APC, Lawal Tajudeen, to urgently intervene in the crisis and ensure that the authentic results of the State House of Assembly primary election are upheld.
They appealed to the party leadership to conduct a thorough investigation into the allegations of result alteration and protect the integrity of the primary process.
Speaking during the protest, Oyewole Oyebamiji, APC chairman in the Local Council Development Area (LCDA) comprising wards 6 to 10, alleged that the group had been cheated by some leaders within the party.
According to him, Obokun has two constituencies, with Constituency 1 comprising wards 1 to 5, while Constituency 2 consists of wards 6 to 10.
He explained that party leaders had maintained an arrangement over the years where political offices were shared between both constituencies to ensure balance and fairness.
He alleged that one of the aspirants, Oluwagbemiga David Falope, popularly known as Faloo, won the primary election convincingly before the results were allegedly altered at the collation stage.
He said, “The leadership agreed that if the council chairman comes from one constituency, the House of Assembly slot should go to the other constituency. That has been the arrangement for years.
“We submitted a letter to the party before the primary election to back up our position, but a day before the exercise, they told us they would no longer honour the arrangement.
“The authentic result gave Faloo 2,594 votes, while the candidate they are trying to impose scored 2,020 votes. We reject the manipulation and call on party leaders in the state to intervene,” he said.
Also speaking, the chieftain of the party, Oketope Alibaba, accused party leaders of marginalising Ilare and other communities in Constituency 2 since 1999.
He stressed that most political appointments and elective positions in the area have remained concentrated in Constituency 1, particularly in Ibokun.
“For over 12 years, the positions of council chairman and House of Assembly member have remained in the same constituency. That is unfair. We have supported the party and its leaders over the years, but now we are demanding fairness and equity,” he said.
Alibaba alleged that despite Falope emerging through consensus and later winning the field election, some leaders within the party refused to accept his victory.
However, another party chieftain, Muyiwa Adewale, said party members accepted Falope as their consensus candidate and insisted that he also emerged victorious during the direct primary election.
“We all went to the field, and he won. But when it got to the stage of final submission, the story changed. That is why we are protesting.
“We want the party leadership in the state to act within 24 hours. We have submitted our complaint letter to the secretariat, and we believe it will get to them,” he said.
