The results of the Saturday 22 governorship
election in Osun State have shown that political parties that failed to respect
people’s views and agitation for rotational system based on perceived
socioeconomic and political marginalization will pay for it. The election has actually changed election’s
results narrative in Nigeria with the existence of slim margin of votes between
the All Progressives Congress, the ruling party and the People’s Democratic
Party, the main opposition party, in four Local Government Councils.
On Thursday 27th, 2018, the two parties will move their resources to Orolu, Ife South,
Ife North and Osogbo Councils for the re-run election as announced by the
Independent National Electoral Commission. Having a close call to victory is not
strange to the Infoprations, because
it has been predicted earlier that the ruling party and other parties would
dominate in their strongholds while votes would be divided among the three
candidates –Senator Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade and Alhaji
Moshood Olalekan Adeoti from the West region.
In the predictions, Infoprations hinted that “Some councils and regions would be easier for the
parties and candidates to win why some would be difficult considering
pre-primary political movements and agitations across the state. The
agitation was high to the extent that Governor Aregbesola was always approached
with ‘it is the turn of our city or town’ anytime he visited cities and towns
in the West region before the primary election. Governor Aregbesola and his
party seem not to see the agitation as ideology because his response is neither
positive nor negative. But, the people of the region surprised him and the
party during bye-election conducted to replace late Senator Adeleke. The ruling
party lost to the opposition party, PDP. Voters in the region voted for the
younger brother of Senator Isiaka Adeleke.”
Osun West as
Results Changer
Between 1999 and 2014, Osun West has been the
results changer for political parties that won the previous governorship
elections. For 2018, the story is not different as the failure to select
governorship candidate from the region by the APC is now pulling it away from
the needed victory. This is clear from 37.03% of the total votes of the leading
four parties (686,827) garnered by the APC. Failure to have Alhaji Adeoti in
its camp led to loss of 7.24% votes that should have help in defeating PDP’s
candidate, making APC’s percent 44.27 instead of 37.03% of the total votes for
the four leading candidates.
Earlier Efforts to Avert Defeat
In its efforts of averting major defeat, the
ruling party strategically chose the Deputy Governorship candidate from Ikire
within Irewole Local Council, one of the 10 Local Councils in Osun West region.
Despite these, the party failed to secure the needed votes from Irewole. The
selection of the new Chief of Staff and Secretary to the State Government from
the region to pacify the people could not help the party on Saturday. Iwo Local
Council, where the new Chief of Staff hails from, was lost to the former
Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Adeoti of the Action Democratic
Party.
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