Osun 2018 Inconclusive Election: Cooperation, Self-interest Tests for Voters and Parties



The September 27 re-run governorship election in Osun State has put concerned stakeholders in a prison where each has to make crucial decision before the day. Infoprations believes that voters and parties have been moved to prisoner’s dilemma by the Independent Electoral Commission's intent of conducting new election at Orolu, Ife South, Ife North and Osogbo councils, citing various issues.
Cooperation and Self-Interest Tests
It is clear now that the All Progressives Congress may not get the needed victory if people with self-interest in the party are not convinced to discard their personal interest for the common interest. It is also glaring that the People’s Democratic Party needs the Social Democratic Party to seal its last Saturday’s victory. Voters equally need to secure their present desires without comprising the chances of the future generations.
In all the four councils, third and fourth winners of the last Saturday’s election polled a total of 27,712 votes. The Social Democratic Party had 23,540 votes while the Action Democratic Party polled 3,784 votes. With this, SDP becomes the first party the two main contenders need to approach while the ADP remains the second party. Considering the previous engagements and conflicts, it would be difficult for the APC to seek SDP’s cooperation while the party could easily persuade the ADP’s candidate, Alhaji Moshood Olalekan Adeoti, being the former Secretary to the State Government under the incumbent governor. Approaching SDP by the PDP would not be difficult because there is likelihood that Senator Iyiola Omisore would be better save in the hands of PDP than APC, the former being the party he has contested for the same position in 2014.
Apart from the parties and candidates’ consideration towards the needed victory by the two contenders, the party that woos some political bigwigs in the councils is likely to earn the victory. In Orolu, the ruling party needs to persuade the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yusuf Lasun once again. It appears that the previous reconciliation did not yield the needed results. The party lost the PDP by 2,334 votes. Mr. Lasun has a firm political grip of the council. He needs to be persuaded. In Osogbo, the ruling party’s failure to woo Alhaji Tunde Badmus, an industrialist, and Fatai Diekola, a former APC leader, before the Thursday’s re-run would wreck APC’s victory. The duo joined the PDP after series of pre-primary election crises.

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