VOL. 9. NO.095 NNNNN5050505050SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 2014

www.osundefender.org THE 6TH MOST-VISITED NEWSPAPER WEBSITE IN NIGERIA

Front Page Comment Who KilledChief Bola Ige,former Attorney-

General andMinister of

Justice? IGE

- See StoryOn Page 2

- Pg 2

•Supporters of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, participating in the 16th Edition of the Walk to Live Exercise in Osogbo. INSERT: Fromleft, Acting Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Osun Chapter, Elder Adelowo Adebiyi; Deputy Governor, Otunba (Mrs) TitiLaoye-Tomori; Governor Rauf Aregbesola; his wife, Sherifat and other dignitaries, on Thursday.

- Pg 6

- Pg 4

APC Uncovers FreshPDP Rigging Plan

Osun Election:

PDP Begins Move To BribeReturning Officer With N1bn

- See StoryOn Page 12

Bullion VansBrought BallotPapers Secretly ToPDP Office FromAbuja - APC

Army ChasesOsun WorkersFrom FreedomPark

Osun StudentsDefy Army,Police Guns ToHold SupportRally ForAregbesola

As August 9draws closer by theday we must con-tinue to remind theelectorate in ourdear state of theirresponsibiliies; theneed to vote rightand to jealouslyguard their votes. Touse the power of our

thumb to vote forcontinuity - as thestate cannot affordto do away with thelevel of unprec-edented develop

Compatriots, JealouslyGuard Your Votes!

going on in thestate since the incep-tion of OgbeniAregbesola's adminis-tration - is our firstmajor responsi

bility as responsiblecitizens of our state.Of course we are notin doubt that the votesof our people will befor OgbeniAregbesola who hasdone the state muchgood.

Continue on pg5

2 OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, August 9, 2014News

Bullion Vans Brought Ballot PapersSecretly To PDP Office From Abuja - APC•Despite GEJ’s Assurance

THE Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Party(APC) on Thursday has alleged a surreptitious andcriminal transportation of millions of ballot papers

into Osun with a bullion van by the Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP) from Abuja on Wednesday.

A statement entitled: “Inspite of Mr President’sAssurances, We Still HaveShenanigans,” and signedby the party Chairman, ElderAdelowo Adebiyi, and theDirector of Publicity,Barrister Kunle Oyatomi,said the bullion van wasparked at the PDPsecretariat until the weehours of Thursday before itwas taken to an unknowndestination.

This ballot papers, theparty stated, was brought inpreparation for thumbprinting them at a CatholicSchool in Ife-Odan and thensurreptitiously to be addedto the party’s tally in allwards and councils inSaturday’s election.

The statement also addedthat there are credibleinformation to the effect thatvehicles belonging to the

Federal Roads SafetyCommission (FRSC) are tobe used for the distributionof the ballot papers to theselected areas, where thePDP plans to use them tosubvert the wishes of thepeople.

The statement noted thatthe crude method PDP isadopting is completelycontrary to the assurancePresident GoodluckJonathan gave to thepeople of Osun that theelection would be free andfair in all ramifications.

The party thuscondemned in strong termsthe desperate act ofsabotage by the PDP aimedat winning thegubernatorial election at allcost.

The statement said: “Wecondemn this subterfuge inits entirety. It is an act of

desperation and a cynicalvote of no confidence on thedemocratic process and theinalienable right of the peopleto freely choose theirleaders.

“President GoodluckJonathan assured the peopleof Osun last Saturday of hiscommitment to free and fairelection and disapproval ofrigging and electoral fraud.

“The evidence before usnow is to the contrary. MrPresident should be true tohis words and rein in hisparty members, who appearhell bent to truncate ourhard-earned democracy, ifthey fail in their diabolical bidto rule the state at all cost.

“The PDP must know thatthe people of Osun aredetermined to have only theirvotes counted and to makeonly their votes count. Theyare willing on Saturday to letthe whole world know thatthe only way in a democracyto acquire political power isto win their hearts andminds.”

Meanwhile, the partywarned all stakeholdersinvolved in conduct of the

election, particularly thesecurity agencies and the adhoc staff of theIndependent NationalElectoral Commission(INEC), to be above boardbefore, during and after theelection process.

It also called on thepeople of the state to be onthe lookout and be sensitiveto all activities in their areasand report any suspiciousmovement to theappropriate quarters forquick intervention.

The statement continued:“We are therefore urgingsecurity agencies, theIndependent NationalElectoral Commission(INEC) and especially thepeople of the affected areas,to be vigilant and be on thelookout for suspiciousactivities, which may betantamount to subversion ofour hard-earned democracy.

“Our people must alsoensure that suchsubversive activities shouldnot be condoned or allowedto happen in their precinct.”

Youths Mobilise SupportFor Aregbesola’s Re-election

By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

YOUTHS of the State of Osun in their thousands tookto major streets of Osogbo, the state capital onMonday to mobilise support for the second term bid

of Governor Rauf Aregbesola.The road show tagged: “One

Million March for Aregbesola”had people from all walks oflife in attendance, all clad inwhite T-shirts with theinscription of “1,000,000march 4 Aregbe” pasted on thefront of their wears and“RAUFOMANIA” at theback.

In a carnival-like manner,youths from the 30 localgovernment council areas andthe Area Office snaked throughOkefia-Olaiya- Fagbewesa-station road-Gbaemu-Oluodeto Orita- elelede.

The motorcade, with musicin support of Aregbesola blaringfrom speakers mounted ontrucks rented the air, as itmoves from Orita- Elelede toAbaaku- Ayetoro- Igbona-Ajegunle and terminated at theNelson Mandela Freedompark.

The governor, whileaddressing the youths, stressedthat what he has done in hisfour years in office was just atip of the iceberg, saying thatthe development of the statewould be more massive in hissecond term.

According to him, there isnowhere in Osun, where hisadministration has not broughtdevelopment in all sectors ofgovernance, expressinghappiness that the people arehappy with the currentdevelopment in the state.

In his words: “I am veryhappy that youths actuallyidentify with us. Anygovernment that does notrecognise the importance ofyouths is a government thathas no reason to be in power.My own understanding ofpower is responsibility.

“What we’ve done in ourfirst term that you are happyabout, are just foundation andin our second term, there willbe more massive development.

“The massive schools wewill complete this year will beable to accommodate 100,000students, while we willcomplete the rest and do morein our second term and beforethe end of second term, all ourstudents will be learning in ournew schools”.

“In our first term, we haveattracted many industries,ranging from OmoluabiGarment Factory, AdulawoRLG Technology City, KoropeAssembly Plant, Ede CocoaIndustry, which is on the way,while our Airport is different

from others in terms of quality.“Apart from that, we are

giving out interest-free loans.We have also given N1.5 billionloans to farmers and we aredoing this for the developmentof our state and the people,”he said.

He urged the youths to voteand stand by their votes fordevelopment.

The Natioal Chairman of theAPC Youths Forum, BarristerIsmail Ahmad, said that theroad show was aimed atmobilising supports forAregbesola to ensure his returnbecause of the development hehas brought to the state.

He said that people of Osunhave shown passionate supportfor Aregbesola because he hasaffected many lives positivelythrough his developmentalprogrammes and policies.

Ahmad charged otheryouths who have not been partof the revolution to get engagedand be part of the revolutiongoing on the state by votingmassively for the governor.

The State of OsunCoordinator of APC YouthForum, Comrade Olateju Isola,warned that securityoperatives should not allowthemselves to be used againstthe wishes of the people.

According to him, theyouths of the state would notallow any rigging during theAugust 9 election, saying; “wedon’t have anything againstsecurity men, but we will resistany attempt to use them forrigging.”

Advising the electorate notto fear the security operatives,he also expressed confidencethat Aregbesola would emergewinner in the election.

Also, General Secretary,Raufomania, a socio-politicalyouth group, Comrade RemiOdewale, held that the groupdecided to embark on thecampaign to encourage thegovernor that youths in thestate are not unaware of hiscommitment to developing thestate.

He noted: “Unlike whathappened at the PDP rally,where people who had voters’cards were not up to onehundred, the Raufomania hasclose to 30,000 youths withvoters’ cards attending themarch for Aregbesola.

He counselled youths not tobe intimidated with thepresence of security personnelin the state, saying they are forthe protection of voters.

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, acknowledging cheers from his supporters, during the 16thEdition of the Walk-to-Live Exercise in Osogbo, State of Osun, last Thursday.

APC Uncovers Fresh PDP Rigging Plan

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has revealedthat it has discovered a document detailing therigging strategies of the Peoples Democratic Party

(PDP) in the August 9 governorship election in the Stateof Osun.

By ISMAEEL UTHMAN

According to the APC,the PDP had already allotted406, 116 votes to awardvictory to its governorshipcandidate, Senator IyiolaOmisore, as contained in thedocument markedconfidential, and alsoallotted results for the APCin all the polling units in thestate.

The National Chairman ofthe APC, Chief JohnOyegun while addressingthe press at the NigerianUnion of Journalists, OsunCouncil, on Thursday, said

a copy of the documentwas in the custody of theAPC.

Oyegun said thedocument exposed the PDPplan to deregister 47,000voters and has alreadyprogrammed the ballotpapers to be used for theSaturday gubernatorialelection.

He alleged that the ballotpapers have been thumb-printed with invisible inkthat would be activatedwhen a voter’s thumbprinted on it.

The APC chairman furtheralleged that the PDP wasplanning to rig andmanipulate election results in1,112 out of the 3,010 pollingunits and 155 wards in thestate, adding over 3000thugs were being lodged ata hotel in Ile-Ife.

Oyegun stated that thethugs would be deployedacross the polling units in thestate with fake voters’ cardsas substitutes for theelectorate that would not goout for accreditation and toutilize unused ballot papersat the polling units.

He said: “The PDP isbasically planning to rigscientifically. The riggingplan is to be carried out incollaboration with the StateMinister of Defence, SenatorMusliu Obanikoro and the

Minister for Police Affairs,Alhaji Jelili Adesiyan andsome officials of theIndependent NationalElectoral Commission.

“The PDP has alreadydeployed militants, armedthugs, security with hoodsto the state for the purposeof intimidating the electorateand bar them from comingout to vote. The PDP willstop at nothing to destroyour nascent democracy.”

Oyegun further allegedthat the PDP has analternative plan, should thescientific rigging plan fail,disclosing that the plan wasto unleash terror on thepeople of the state toforestall the declaration ofOgbeni Rauf Aregbesola asthe winner of the election.

The APC chairman

therefore called on theelectorate to come out en-masse and vote and thatthey should be extra-vigilanton the election, stating thatthe APC was putting allmachinery in place toprotect the mandate of thepeople.

He threatened that theAPC would not allow asituation where itssupporters and electoratewill be subjected tointimidation, harassment, orbarring them from exercisingtheir constitutional rights,maintaining that the partyand its supporters would

resist rigging andintimidation from the PDP.

Oyegun called on theINEC Chairman, ProfessorAttair Jega and theInspector General of Police,Suleiman Abba to callcaution themselves, as wellas their officials againstconspiring with the PDP torig the election, saying thatOsun was not available forcapture by the PDP.

He specifically urgedJega to ensure that his namedoes not go down in infamywith the conduct of theelection.

3 News OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, August 9, 2014

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•Students and Youths Coalition in Osun organized a rally to endorse Governor Rauf Aregbesola for second term inoffice in Osogbo last Wednesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

Do Not Dare To Rig Osun Election, NATA Tells President, IGPBy ISMAEEL UTHMAN

THE Nigeria Automobile Technicians Association(NATA) has called on President Goodluck Jonathanand the Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba,

not to rig or manipulate tomorrow’s (Saturday)governorship election in the State of Osun in favour of thePeoples Democratic Party (PDP).

NATA said PresidentJonathan should not seehimself as PDP president,but rather the President ofthe Federal Republic ofNigeria, and thereby

providing a level playground for all thecontestants in thegubernatorial election.

Addressing a pressconference in Osogbo, the

state capital onWednesday, the NationalSecretary General of theassociation, Comrade DavidAjetumobi, called on theInspector General of Police,Mr Sulaiman Abba, not tosee his appointment as a callto rig Osun election inappreciation of hisconsideration by thepresident.

According to Ajetumobi,the association and the

people of the state do notwant anything short of free,fair and credible election,stating that the police andother security agents onduty on the election daymust do away with anyactivity that is capable offrustrating the process of acredible election.

Ajetumobi said: “We callon the president not to seehimself as the president ofthe PDP, when the parry has

its National Chairman, buthe should see himself as thePresident of the FederalRepublic of Nigeria. So, hemust be fair to allcontestants in the Osunelection.

“We also call on the newInspector General of Policenot to see his recentpromotion as a call to rigOsun election, he shouldnot see rigging as anappreciation for hisconsideration for the IGPposition. We want acredible and fair policing.

“All policemen andwomen and other securityofficers involved in thepolicing of this electionmust be mandated not towear any hood coveringtheir faces and identity suchas names and ranks. It isvery important for fairpolicing and any personthat does contrary must besanctioned.

“In fact, the policeauthority should mandate itthat every policeman mustfirst identify him/herself byname and rank beforeengaging any citizen, andthere must be CitizenComplaints Unit at thePolice Command to beheaded by and AssistantCommissioner of Police.

“This will help tocheckmate the abuse ofpolice power by someundesirable elements; it willstrengthen the confidenceof the people on the

security arrangement andwill enhance the chance ofdemocratic policing.”

Ajetumobi enjoined thepeople of the state not to beintimidated by the heavypresence of securitypersonnel on the election,nor be dissuaded by theforce information beingcirculated by supporters ofone of the candidates thathis party has used federalmight to win the electionbefore its conduct.

OSUN DEFENDERgathered that the supportersof Senator Iyiola Omisore, thePDP candidate, had beenbragging that they have wonthe election, even if theentire people of the state donot vote for their candidate.

The NATA officialappealed to the electoratenot to be dissuaded by suchstatements, saying that theywere meant to discourage thepeople from coming out tovote on the election.

He said: “We are usingthis opportunity as part ofour contributions to a free,fair and credible election inthe state to advise thepeople to ignore somerumours that can derail thecourse of credible election inthe state.

“Some enemies of freeand fair election are advisingthe people to stay at homeon August 9; their reason isthat the security agents arein Osun to intimidate andshoot at sight, and peopleare advised for their safetyto keep away from votingcentres.

“All voters should go outto vote. Never create anyvacuum for rigging. Yourrefusal to come will give themthe needed vacuum to rigyour choice away. Nothingis like an anointed candidatein democracy. People mustchoose their leader.”

Osun Poll: Rigging ‘ll Spell Doom For PDP, Jonathan - ActivistsBy ISMAEEL UTHMAN

A group of human rights activists and pro-democracypeople under the aegis of the Movement AgainstElectoral Fraud has threatened that any attempt to

rig the Osun governorship election would spell doom forPresident Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP).

The activists warned theIndependent National ElectoralCommission (INEC), the PDPand the Presidency not toprovoke the masses, statingthat President Jonathan shouldprepare to leave office shouldthe governorship election berigged as being planned by thePDP and the presidency.

According to them, riggingthe governorship electionwould have adverseconsequence that could not becontrolled for Jonathan and thePDP.

Convener of the group,Comrade Taiwo Otitolaye,gave the warning on Thursdayin Osogbo, while addressing apress conference.

Otitolaye alleged the PDPand the presidency of usingstate powers to clothe politicalthugs in security uniforms forhatchet jobs in thegovernorship election comingup tomorrow in the State ofOsun.

The MAEF convener saidthat some of the securitypersonnel using hood andshooting sporadically in thestate, are suspected to bepolitical thugs deployed to thestate to intimidate theelectorate.

He condemned themilitarization of the state forthe election, describing it as anassault on democracy andcontrary to the provisions ofthe 1999 Constitution of theFederal Republic of Nigeria andthe 2011 Electoral Act.

Otitolaye stressed: “Wehave monitored the current

phase of the democraticexperiment under PresidentGoodluck Jonathan. It is indeedsad that the PDP government

is taken the country to anotherlevel of fascism, high level ofcorruption, election rigging,militarization anddehumanization of theelectorate for subjugatedelectoral victories.

“The country is fastrelapsing to a police state torip-off the people’s vote. Thepresident has evencorroborated this when he came

to the PDP rally in Osogbo onAugust 2, 2014, when hethreatened to use force on thepeople during the August 9,2014 governorship election inthe state.”

“We are calling the attentionof Nigerians and internationalcommunity that Nigeria’spolitical experiment is indanger and may hastily collapse

Osun Poll: Aregbesola ‘ll Win With Landslide - OyinlolaBy ISMAEEL UTHMAN

THE formal National Secretary of the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP), Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola,who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC)

on Tuesday, has stated that Governor Rauf Aregbesola wouldwin tomorrow’s governorship election with a landslide.

According to Oyinlola, allindices of electoral victory havepointed to Aregbesola, thecandidate of the APC, as theawaiting winner of theSaturday governorship electionin the state.

Oyinlola stated this in aninterview with OSUNDEFENDER on Wednesday in

Osogbo.The former governor of the

state averred that Aregbesola’spopularity, the support ofover 90 per cent of theelectorate that trooped out forthe APC mega rally and theacceptability of the partyamong the common peoplewere indications that

Aregbesola would emergevictorious in the governorshipelection.

Speaking on themilitarization of the state byPresident Goodluck Jonathan,Oyinlola said it is unlawful todeploy soldiers for a civilactivity, adding that the stepcontravenes the dictates of the1999 Constitution of theFederal Republic of Nigeria andthe Electoral Act.

However, Oyinlola called onthe electorate to go out on theelection day and cast theirvotes for Aregbesola amidst the

watertight security, saying thatthe security agents are toprotect them.

Describing the PDP and itsgovernorship candidate,Senator Iyiola Omisore, asunpopular and rejected by thepeople, Oyinlola said all thepoliticians with goodcharacters have left the PDPto take solace in the APC.

He stated that the leadersof the PDP in the state arethose that were accused ofcomplicity in the killing of thelate Chief Bola Ige, theAttorney General andMinister of Justice of the

federation.Oyinlola said he joined the

APC because of his convictionthat the party meant well forthe country and prioritizes thewellbeing of the citizenry,which coincide with his ownpriority too.

The former governor addedthat he left the PDP because ofthe frustration from a set ofpeople within the party, addingthat he had to continue hispolitical life when it wasobvious that President Jonathanno longer wanted him in theparty.

if President Jonathan and hispolitical brigandage continuein this direction.”

Otitolaye called on theelectorate in the state to ignoreall forms of intimidation beingemployed by the PDP and the“President Jonathan’sbackward regime” to come outen-masse and cast their voteson issue based politicalparticipation.

Osun 2014: Orolu APC Tours Wards For Aregbesola

AS part of plans by different local government councilarea chapters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) inthe State of Osun to support the second term

gubernatorial ambition of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, its flagbearer in the election that would be held on Saturday, the APCin Orolu Local Government Council Area has embarked on amassive council area wide campaign rally to sensitise theelectorate on why Aregbesola should be returned to the BolaIge House, Governor’s Office, Abere.

The campaign train, whichcriss-crossed the length andbreadth of the wards in thecouncil area, kick-started at Ifon-Orolu Town and moved to Ile-Akimo, where the party leader;Alhaji Kelani Orisawale,reminded the Ebira Communityof the development and fulfilledpromises that they are currently

enjoying under the Aregbesolaadministration in the state since2010.

Afterwards, the campaignconvoy proceeded to Ile-Disu,where they addressed all theBaales of Kajola Community.

At Egan Aaje, the campaigntrain met and discussed with thetown’s people, who pledged

their full support and vote onAugust 9th.

The party leader announcedto the people that the PDP hadno chance of winning because alltheir leaders like PrinceOlagunsoye Oyinlola, AlhajiAdeleke, Felix Ogunwale, PeterBabalola had all defected to theAPC.

At Owode-Ifon, where theOlowode was absent, the team,led by Alhaji Kilani, observedthat the PDP had never broughtany meaning development totheir community and thereforethey should vote wisely for thecandidate that would developOwode for them.

At the Benue Community, theleaders promised the team that

the APC has their full backing,while promising that that theirvotes would be massive forAregbesola.

When the train arrived OsunEesa, the people of the townrevealed that since they had beensupporting the progressives,they were neglected by the PDP.

They stated that Aregbesolahad started the rehabilitation ofthe Ilie in Olorunda to Ifelodunroad.

At Gaa Fulani, the FulaniCommunity further pledgedtheir loyalty and requested thatOgbeni Aregbesola shouldprovide them with potabledrinking water and also for twoslots to be given to them for thenext batch of holy pilgrimage to

Mecca.The communities at Okiti,

Baara and Idi-Iroko all pledgedtheir support come August 9,2014.

The community leaders alsorequested that the stategovernment makes its presencefelt more in their towns, so thatthey too would enjoy thedividends of democracy.

The APC campaign teamcomprised of the party leaders;Alhaji Kilani Orisawale, AlhajiGaniyu Ibrahim, AdekunleBenson, Alhaji Rasheed Oyedeleand Honourable Kamil Oyedelerepresenting Irepodun-OroluState Constituency in the StateHouse Of Assembly.

By FRANCIS EZEDIUNO

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, August 9, 20144 News

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (with mic), addressing a mammoth crowd of his supportersduringhis re-election governorship campaign at Garaji Olode in Ife South local government area of the State of Osun lastMonday.

By KEHINDE AYANTUNJI

Army Chases Osun Workers From Freedom Park•NLC, TUC, NULGE Endorse Aregbesola For Second Term

IN another show of intimidation on the peace-lovingmasses of Osogbo, the State of Osun capital, men of theNigerian Army on Wednesday took over the Nelson

Mandela Freedom Park, located in the heart of the statecapital, to prevent the various labour unions from endorsingGovernor Rauf Aregbesola for second term in office.

Residents of Osogbo wokeon Wednesday morning to thesight of stern-looking militarymen that were fully-armed atthe Nelson Mandela FreedomPark, barricading the wholeplace and preventing passers-by from walking along or

relaxing.People, who without

knowing what was going on,tried to pass through thepremises for one reason or theother, were given the beatingof their lives and made to pickdirts with their bare hands.

Some residents, who spokewith newsmen, expressed theirtotal displeasure at thesituation, which they describedas infringement on the people’sfreedom of movement.

A businessman, who dealsin clothing materials directlyopposite the park, MrNdubuisi Akabueze, expresseddismay at the way the FederalGovernment is going about itspreparation towards the Osungubernatorial election.

He said the bombardment ofOsun with heavy security

speaks volume about themanner in which the party atthe centre is planning to rig theelection.

The army has not disclosedthe reason for the invasion butthe officers and men at thepark said it was an “order fromabove”

However, despite thesetback, members of the labourunion in Osun, under the aegisof Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC), which comprise of allthe civil servants and the TradeUnion Congress (TUC) headed

to the Government House, Oke-Fia, Osogbo in their thousandsto show their support forOgbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

The workers, who were allin their white T-shirts, with theinscription: “Aregbesola forsecond term” marched from thepark to the Government House.

Speaking on behalf of theworkers, the PermanentSecretary, Local governmentLoans Board, and formerNULGE Chairman, DrOyeboade Olowogboyega,explained that workers in thestate have no choice than tosupport the governor becausehe has done creditably well inthe state.

He noted that there is somuch difference in theadministration of the statebefore Aregbesola becamegovernor and after he assumedoffice.

He said all the workers inthe state are solidly behind thegovernor for a second term,adding that the difference ingovernance is so clear for alleyes to see, as Osun can nowbe ranked above beyond itspeers.

He explained that workersin the state have never had itso good under anyadministration in the state, asworkers now enjoy betterwelfare packages since thecoming of the currentadministration.

He appreciated the governorfor approving and increasingcar and housing loans forworkers in the state, despitethe paucity of funds that the

state is facing.He said: “There is so much

difference between thisgovernment and the previousgovernments we have beenwitnessing in this state.”

“The difference is so clearfor all to see that our dear stateis getting better in terms of oureconomy and the developmentof infrastructure in all nooks andcrannies.”

“No government has takeninterest in the education of ourchildren like the Aregbesolaadministration. He is buildingnew schools and at the sametime, feeding our elementaryschool children.”

“This is why we havedecided to throw our weightbehind your second term bidbecause we want you tocontinue to secure our futurefor us. We have tried you andwe trust you. We know youcannot fail us.”

In his response, OgbeniRauf Aregbesola expressedappreciation being the firstgovernor that civil servants willopenly show their endorsementfor, while promising that he willnot let them down in all theirexpectations from him.

He told the workers thatwhat his administration hasbeen able to achieve in the lastthree and half years was just afoundation of what will comeup in the next four years, ashis administration would buildmore roads and more schoolsand make life better for thepeople of the state.

While assuring them that noworker will lose his or her job,Aregbesola enjoined workers inthe state not to listen tomischief makers, stressing thathis administration values andrespects the welfare of workersat all times.

He noted that the delay inthe in the payment of salarieswas as a result of the delay andreduction in the federalallocation from N4.6 billion toN2.6 billion, explaining thatdespite not getting Juneallocation till now, hisadministration has already paidJuly salaries.

He said: “We are committedto the welfare of our workersand we shall continue to takesteps that will make life morecomfortable for you and thepeople of Osun generally.

“A government that doesnot love workers will not doanything that will make lifeeasy for them. Our governmentis worker-friendly.”

“What you have seen is justa foundation of the good thingsto come in the next four years.We are determined to continueto make life easier for ourpeople.

“I urge you not to listen tomischief makers. They haveframed us with all sorts of lieslike accusing us of giving all thecontracts in the state to peoplewho are not from this state. Iam telling you it is all a ploy todestroy the good thingshappening in the state.”

On the issue of securityoperatives harassing andstopping people from using theNelson Mandela Freedom parkfor rallies, the governorcondemned the act, saying itwas absurd.

He explained that securityoperatives are not supposed toharass members of the publicwhose tax money are beingused to pay their salaries andbuy the guns and uniformsthey use for their job.

By KEHINDE AYANTUNJI

Hold Obanikoro Responsible For APC Members’ DeathIn Osun - Aregbesola •Launches Student Smart Card

THE governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni RaufAregbesola, on Wednesday said should anythinghappen to any member of the All Progressives

Congress (APC) in Osun during the August 9, 2014governorship election, the Minister of State for Defence,Mr. Musiliu Obanikoro, should be held responsible.

The governor stated this atthe launch of the students’smart identity cards atSalvation Army MiddleSchool, Alekuwodo in Osogbo,the state capital, while notingthat he learnt it on goodauthority that Obanikoro inconjunction with the PoliceAffairs Minister, Mr. JelilAdesiyan, have instructedsecurity personnel to shoot andkill two of APC members.

He charged security agentsto play by the rules, saying thatwith what happened at theNelson Mandela freedom Parkon Monday morning, wherepeople, who were supposed tocampaign for APC, were turnedback by security agents, whilesame security agents allowedPeoples Democratic Party(PDP) to campaign atAlekuwodo in Osogbo.

Aregbesola questioned whatMusiliu Obanikoro is doing inOsun, noting that members ofAPC have been told to be law-abiding but with the resentlevel of provocation, whenpushed to the wall, people mayreact.

He said: “How could a partylike the PDP be this desperate.Obanikoro with Jelili Adesiyantold the security agents that bythe time two members of theAPC are shot and killed by thepolice, other members willlearn from it, and with that, the

stiff resistance of APC will bedestroyed.

“We want to use thismedium to appeal to oursecurity agencies not to allowthemselves to be used by thesePDP candidate and the twoministers, whose party beforethis administration had beenterrorising the good people ofour state.

“I am using this medium totell the security operatives thatOsun people are law abiding,they have always beencontributing to the payment ofyour salaries and you are notsupposed to harrass them withthe guns, which were boughtfor you with their money,” thegovernor said.

On the smart identity cardsfor students, the governornoted that InformationCommunication Technology(ICT) is among other promisingpaths his administration haschosen to tread in the marchtowards realising the state’sdevelopment dream.

He said with the launch ofthe smart identity cards, Osunbecomes the first state inNigeria to provide its studentswith a card that contains allinformation that may berequired on the student.

Aregbesola held that in thehistory of human inventions,there are not too many that areas useful as ICT in terms of its

efficiency and effectiveness atproviding solutions to humanproblems.

He added that ICT is thesolution that his administrationhas embraced in order to solveand ease the problemsassociated with publicadministration in the state.

The Osun student smartidentity card will have all thebiometric, personalisedidentifying features of theworkers’ smart ID cards, butwithout the ATM enablement.

“With the card, each studentis a uniquely identifiableindividual that cannot bemistaken for another person,while government can equallyidentify all the genuinestudents in all the publicschools, and have access to theirinformation at the push of abutton.

Aregbesola said: “TheO’MEALS and other suppliesto pupils will be checked offthrough this smart card, addingthat it will give government theexact number of beneficiariesand eliminate fraud andaccounting error of any type.

According to the governor:“We have applied it to ourrevenue collection and taxadministration, which gives usa good results, immediately wedeployed it to our revenuecollection system, ourinternally generated revenuejumped by 100 per cent fromN300 million to N600 million.

“We have deployed it to oursalaries and pensions paymentsystem, with very happyresults for all. It has helpedeliminated situations where ourhard-working civil servants areshort-changed in the payment

of money due to them.“In a similar vein, we have

applied it to our pensionssystem in a manner that makesit possible to eliminate thestress and troubles that ourretired elderly citizens aresubjected to,” the governornoted.

Aregbesola pointed out thatthe technology has removes theusually untoward interventionof intermediaries in paymentto workers and pensioners thatoften makes underhanddealings and cheating possible.

He also added that hisadministration has recentlyapplied ICT to the identitysystem of all its workers inOsun, saying it is the samescheme that is being extendednow to the students.

Aregbesola revealedthat with the new identitycards, workers now have asmall smart card that canidentify them as authenticOsun workers without thepossibility of impersonation.

“The same small smart cardenables them to cash money atthe Automated TellerMachines (ATMs), as well asgives them the capacity to cashup to 20 per cent of theirsalaries before they are paid.

“The card eliminates for alltime the possibility of ghostsrising up from their graves tocollect salaries and pensions inOsun,” the governor told theaudience.

Speaking earlier, thedeputy governor, Otunba(Mrs) Titilayo Laoye-Tomori,who also doubles as the StateCommissioner for Educationnoted that ICT is the solutionthat Aregbesola-led

administration has embraced,thus making governance easyand productive in the state.

“We cannot but continue topray for the governor for whathe has done in the state. Thisis a governor, who is committedto the development ofeducation. Presently, thisadministration is feeding closeto 300,000 elementary pupilsamong others.

“With this innovation now,Osun becomes the first statewith this kind of identity cards.Every information needed oneach pupil is contained in thecard,” the deputy governoraverred.

The Group ManagingDirector, Chams PLC, Mr.Charles Aladekomo, in hisremarks on the occasion,commended the governor forbuilding of ultra-modernschools and developmentalstrides in the education sectorin the state.

He said: “I am proud andastonished that Osun is feedingpupils of elementary schools.This is a very serious business.It will gladden me the more, ifwe have other stategovernments tapping intofeeding pupils.

“What we are doing here isthe first of its kind. This ismore than an identity cardbecause we have their fulldetails and their family trees.It is with this that governmentwill be able to plan for them.

“This will also afford thegovernment of Osun theopportunity to plan itsprogrammes as they affectstudents and education,” theChams boss emphasised.

5OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, August 9, 2014

Compatriots, Jealously Guard Your Votes!

Continued from pg1

But to guard our votesjealously could even be said to bemore important than casting ourvotes. This is in view of thedesperation of the far from beingdemocratic Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP) and its gubernatorial'wannabe' in the state, IyiolaOmisore Mr. 'Money miss road',to coast home victory in thecoming election. Thus while it'simportant to give our votes toOgbeni, it's even more importantto jealously guard our votes. Thisis what we need to do to ensurethat the PDP doesn't succeed in itsevil machinations.

Already there are threats of vio-lence from the party on membersof the ruling party, APC as they(PDP) are threatening fire againstAPC members. Going by their an-tecedent violence and rigging aretheir stock-in-trade. And since thereis no hope for them of winning thecoming election through 'One manOne vote' then their hope lies in re-peating what they know how to dobest.

Another way through which thePDP is hoping to claim victory is bythrowing money and other valuablegifts out to entice voters to sell theirvotes. In this regard the handwrit-

ing had for long appeared on thewall. With the distribution of kero-sene to their members and somemembers of the public whichstarted last year their journey to en-tice voters with the aim of buyingtheir votes started.

This stratagem rather than strat-egy, being viciously employed bythe PDP in the state of Osun, is whatwe see as 'jeun s'iku' should citi-zens get swayed by it. 'Jeun s'iku'literally means 'eat and die' or 'eatthe food that will lead you to yourgrave'. The money and other formsof gift which the PDP and IyiolaOmisore rely on to buy citizens'votes are nothing but 'Greek gift'and 'blood money' and collectingthem to do their biding means do-ing so at one's peril. It simply meanssending our state back to the pre-Aregbesola era; backwater of de-velopment. May God forbid!

But it's not enough to pray to Godto forbid evil things. We the citizensmust also not use our own hands tobring evil things on our heads. Tocollect PDP's blood money to sellour conscience in the coming elec-tion will be tantamount to 'jeun s'iku'the consequence of which will bedire for our state. Of course the citi-zens can collect the gift of moneyand other gifts the PDP is ready tooffer them but they must not do soto do their bidding. The votes in thecoming election are for OgbeniAregbesola who has raised the bar

of good and responsible gover-nance in the state and should nevergo to any other party let alone thePDP.

The PDP and Iyiola Omisore arefree to go about to throw carrot tothe people in their desperation tocapture the conscience of votersbut never should the voters allowtheir conscience to be captured bythese unscrupulous elements whohave nothing to offer our state. ThePDP has been in power for closeto eight years here without anypositive thing to show for it. All ithad to show for its eight years ofmisrule are purely negative; vio-lence, hunger, unemployment, col-lapsed school system, bad roadsand general under-developmentacross the state.

And on the part of the party's can-didate, 'Mr. Money miss road' him-self, he too had nothing positive toshow for representing the state atthe highest legislative body of thiscountry even as he held a juicy po-sition in the Senate, being ChairmanAppropriation Committee for fouryears. Rather than serving thepeople and made positive impactin their lives he was only there toserve his own pocket. So in whatway are they - both the PDP andOmisore - going to effect any mean-ingful change in the life of the stateas they are shouting around?

We know that the virtuous and

responsible citizens of our statewho have enjoyed dividends of de-mocracy in unprecedented termunder the able and visionary lead-ership of Ogbeni Aregbesola willnot waste their votes. We are surethey are not going to sell their con-science. We believe fervently thattheir votes will be for Aregbesolaas they are not ready to 'jeun s'iku'.However,as we said above it's onething to vote, the next important taskbefore them come election day af-ter voting is for them to protect theirvotes.

Our people must guard theirvotes jealously so that these vision-less elements who rely on votestealing like they did in 2007 andwho have nothing to offer the stateand its people don't succeed in theirfraudulent and evil plans. For themnot to succeed the ball is in the courtof the people. Our responsibilitiesare clear; to vote and to protectour votes. These are what we mustdo to ensure the return of theAregbesola-led progressive gov-ernment that has done so well forour state.

OSUN DEFENDERPublisher – Moremi Publishing

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OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing HouseLimited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guarantee Trust BankGTB, Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun.All correspondence to the above mail address.ISSN: 0794-8050Telephone: 0803-392-7286, 08033880205Website: www.osundefender.com/index.phpe-mail: osundefender@yahoo.com

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, August 9, 20146 News

Buruji, Obanikoro, Uba, Fani-Kayode Storm OsunAHEAD of theAugust

9 2014 governorshipelection in the State

of Osun, prominent PeolesDemocratic Party (PDP)chieftains have arrived thestate and have beenissuing directives to themilitary personel that hadearlier arrived the state todrive fear into andintimidate the electorate.

Intelligence at themedium’s disposal hasrevealed that in the lastone week, series ofnocturnal meetings havebeen held with the partyheirachy together with thecommanders of the militarypersonel drafted to thestate to aid the party’svictory at the poll.

A source close to the

APC, Jega DifferOver Osun ElectionTHE APC has rejected

INEC Chairman, ProfAttahiru Jega’s

assertion, that a votercannot photograph hisballot paper with a cellphone, as the clearestindication yet of whatcould be called “impliedcomplicity” by INEC withthe PDP to rig Saturday’svote.

The APC in a statementreacting to the INEC boss’assertion said that no lawin the country’sconstitution or INEC’sown electoral regulationsprohibits such exercise.

Jega therefore, cannotsingle-handedly preventcitizens from protectingtheir votes, moreso whenthe rumour is rife thatINEC is insisting on using“magical ballot papers”that transfer other parties’votes to the PDP, as wassuspected to havehappened in Ekiti.

“If Jega were absolutelysure that INEC’s ballotpapers were normal, whyshould he bother aboutanybody wasting hisenergy and resourcesphotographing a normalballot paper?

“Jega must haveinadvertently corroboratedspeculations that most ofthe ballot papers may havebeen scientifically wired totransfer opponents’ votesto the PDP.

“A discovery of thisanomaly at the postelection tribunal, withthousands ofphotographed ballotpapers showing that theoriginal voting exercisewas different from thatwhich INEC actuallycounted, will not onlyannihilate thecommission’s reputation itwill catastrophicallydamage the integrity ofJega himself.

“This is perhaps theonly reason Jega isstruggling to prevent APCsupporters fromphotographing their ballotpapers. There is no suchlegal provision in our lawbooks. Jega on his owncannot create one.

“We therefore advisethe INEC boss to comeclean on the kind of ballot

Soldiers Seal Off NelsonM a n d e l a P a r kSTATE of Osun chapter

of All ProgressiveCongress (APC) have

condemned the militarylaying of siege to NelsonMandela Freedom Park,Osogbo. The party'sspokesman, Barrister KunleOyatomi in a statementissued in Osogbo yesterdaysaid the development is apossible attempt to preventLabour from assembling atthe Park, which they hadoriginally secured for theirevent.

Osun Students Defy Army, Police Guns To Hold SupportRally For AregbesolaSTUDENTS in their

thousands onWednesday defied stern

looking security agents inOsogbo who had laid siege tothe Nelson Mandela FreedomPark venue of the scheduledadoption of the governor ofthe state, Ogbeni RaufAregbesola as their candidatefor the August 9 election.

The students under theaegis of Youths and StudentsCoalition for the re-electionof Aregbesola took to theOlaiya Junction in the heartof the State Capital andmarched to Ogo-Oluwa axisof Osogbo before theyconverged at Fakunle area toaddress members.

The student coalition

Security Forces Clamp Down On Osun - APCSECURITY forces

appear to haveintensified their

harassment of Osun citizensby interfering with movementof people in our cities andtowns, and arresting targetedindividuals including Hon.Yemi Oke, a leader of APC inObokun Local Governmenetarea who was arrested by

papers the commissionplans to use. APCsupporters are determinedto protect their votes.

“If the ballot paper isnormal, why should Jegabother? We suspect foulplay,” the APC said.

The party therefore,called on all electionobservers to note this newdimension in the riggingprocess and ensure thatthe INEC doesn’tcomplicate the outcome ofSaturday’s vote.

“There is a clear winnerin sight. You cannotfraudulently reverse that,”the APC said.

“special forces” from Abujaled by local PDP leaders atabout 2.30 am Monday.

This is the replication ofwhat happened in Ekiti inJune.

Early Monday morningthey created panic throughrigorous searches in Osogboand Ilesha causing traffic to

crawl for hours beforerelenting as the afternoonapproached.

Convoys of strange-looking people believed to bemilitants from Bayelsa andother Niger Delta States havebeen moving in and out ofIlesha escorted by brandedvehicles of Omisore campaignorganisation.

Speculation is rife that thesecurity services may berehearsing a lock-down ofOsogbo and other cities onTuesday (today) in what wehave been informed is adesperate bid to whittle downthe massive numbers ofsupporters expected at thefinal mega rally of the APC.

Also it is alleged that thePDP will use the securityforces on Thursday to causemayhem in Ede and Ilesharespectively.

But the APC has warnedthat the security servicesshould not give theimpression that they arebeing partisan in favor of thePDP because it dideverything it could topromote full attendance at

PDP rally last Saturday.“There is therefore no

excuse today (Tuesday) tohave any reason whatsoeverto disturb APC’s rally underthe pretest of securityconcerns. If it does, it willlose public confidence as anational institution designedto mainitain peace andprotect citizens,” the APCsaid.

The APC urged thesecurity services to prove tothe people that they are notin Osun to do a hatchet man’sjob for the PDP that is madlydesperate to snatch power inthe state.

“ It is in the nationalinterest that our securityagencies resist the temptationto be abused and misused bygreedy and desperatepoliticians to violateconstitutional rights of thepeople to freedom ofmovement, assembly and thechoice of who their leadersshould be ,” the party said.

The soldiers were reportedto have told the GeneralManager of the Park thatthey were acting on ‘orderfrom above’.

According to the soldiers:“The order is for now.”

Oyatomi’s words: “It isunclear why that order wasgiven, but a competent sourceinformed the APC that theFederal Governmentmachinery is trying toprevent as much as possibledemonstration of support for

Minister of Police Affairs,Mr Jelili Adesiyan,revealed that in the pastone week, he has beenvery busy, boasting towhoever cares to listenhow Osun victory for thePDP has been accordedhighest priority byPresident GoodluckJonathan and thepresidency.

According to thesource, Adesiyan washeard to have said that thefederal government vaulthas been left open forOsun agenda,with thepresident giving directiveto the Minister of Finance,Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, torelease whatever amountwould be needed byAdesiyan and his ilk to

prosecute the state poll.The source further

confided in the mediumthat the invading militarypersonel have since beentaken directives from thePDP chieftains, who havesince been pointing outpersonal residence of theAll Progresives Congress(APC) chieftains with thesole purpose of packingthem out of circulation

ahead of the governorshipelection in the state.

It would be recalled thatin the wee hours ofMonday morning, achieftain of the ruling-APCfrom Obokun LocalGovernment Council Areaof the state, Wale Oke, wasarrested by the goons ofthe Federal Governmentfor supposed gun-runningbut was later released after

much noise was raised byhis party over his illegalarrest.

Other PDP chieftainswho have recently moveddown to the state for thesole purpose of theelection are: Femi Fani-Kayode, the formerMinister of Aviation, ;Musliu Obanikoro, theMinister of State forDefence; Andy Uba, an

erstwhile aide of formerPresident OlusegunObasanjo; BurujiKashamu, a suspectedfugitive and drug baron;Ayo Fayose, the governor-elect for Ekiti State, whoseelection has become asubject of litigation.

The nation VicePresident Namadi Sambo,was also reported to havevolunteered to leave thecomfort of his officialresidence in Abuja andrelocate to Osogbo for thepurpose of ensuringvictory for the PDP atwhatever cost.

Gov Rauf Aregbesola.‘We understand that the

Federal Government wasfrightened by the magnitudeof the mega rally of the APCwhich is the biggest scene sofar in the history of campaignin the State.

Citizens are thereforeadvised not to put themselvesin arms way by confrontingthe soldiers.

“They should move on andreassemble somewhere else.”

“The people of the Stateof Osun will not submit tooppression and intimidation,”the APC declared.

which comprises of NationalAssociation of NigerianStudents Joint CampusCommittee , NationalAssociation of Osun StateStudents (NAOSS) and allother students associationson campuses.

Convener of the Youthsand Students Coalition group,Comrade Abiola Oludele,stressed that the IndependentElectoral Commission shouldbe fair enough to conductcredible election in Osun,saying Youths in the statewill take no excuse for anyfailure.

According to Oludele,”Wewant to use this medium tocharge INEC to conduct anelection that will be seen by

all as free and fair. Youths inOsun will take no excuse fortheir failure and any attemptto go against the popularwish of our people will beresisted.

“Youths and studentscoalition wish to informINEC and security agentsdeployed to the state that webargain for nothing other thanfree and fair governorshipelection come August 9.

“People as the owners ofvotes, we do not need anyclearance to monitor,safeguard and protect ourvotes.

“We wish to state itclearly that we are fullyaware that various securityagents and others deployedfor our protection and assuch should not be turned toinstrument of oppression and

harassment before election.“It is important for INEC

to note that the duties of itsofficers are not expected tobe carried out by any of thesecurity agents in any of thepolling units across thestate,” The Youth associationpointed out.

It will be recalled thatMobile policemen and theMilitary men were seen onWednesday morning turningback people who had arrivedthe Mandela Freedom Park,venue of the event for theendorsement of the governorby the students.

The Bureau ofCommunications and Strategyin the Office of the Governor,commenting on thedevelopment said it wasunthinkable that the PDP-ledFederal Government is

allowing this to happen atthis stage of Nigeria’sdemocratic journey.

“One is miffed by theaudacity of the securityagents who dared to stopmembers of the workforce ofOsun and students whowanted to adopt theGovernor today and tell thewhole world that they arebehind Aregbesola.

“But we are consoled bythe fact that the people haveshown them their power.People have demonstratedthat even in the face ofintimidation, they arepeaceful but resolute on thedecision to vote for RaufAregbesola,” said SemiuOkanlawon, Director, Bureauof Communications andStrategy, Office of theGovernment

•State of Osun Governor Rauf Aregbesola, receiving blessings from the state chapter of the labour union after hisendoresment for his re-election in Osogbo on Wednesday.

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, August 9, 2014 7

•

Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s Re-election Campaign At Garaji-Olode, Ifetedo, OmiFunfun In Ife-South Local Government Council Area Of The State Of Osun, LastMonday. Photo: GBENGA

ADENIYI.

•Aregbesola acknowledging cheers from his supporters at Omifunfun town.

•Some of the Aregbesola supporters welcoming him to Garaji Olode.

•Governor Rauf Aregbesola (with mic); Senator Babajide Omoworare (3rd left) and other dignitaries during the rally.

PHOTOTALK

•Some of the Aregbesola supporters on an uncompleted building.

8 OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, August 9, 2014PHOTOTALK

•All Progressive Congress (APC) National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun (right); APC leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (4th left); Aregbesola (4th right) his wife,Sherifat (3rd right); first civilian governor in Osun, Senator Adetunji Adeleke; Former Governor of Ekiti State, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo (2nd left) and other dignitaries duringGovernor Aregbesola’s 2014 re-election mega rally at Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, on Tuesday.

More Pix On All Progressives Congress (APC) 2014 Governorship Re-election OfOgbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s Mega Rally At Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, State OfOsun, Last Tuesday. Photo: SIKIRU ADEOYE-YUSUF

•

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and former Governor of the State of Osun, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, acknowledging cheers from the crowd duringGovernor Aregbesola’s ‘re-election mega rally at Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, State of Osun, last Tuesday.

9OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, August 9, 2014 PHOTOTALKMore Pix On All Progressives Congress (APC) 2014 Governorship Re-election OfOgbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s Mega Rally At Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, State OfOsun, Last Tuesday. Photo: SIKIRU ADEOYE-YUSUF

•A cross section of APC supporters during the mega rally at Osogbo City Stadium.

•A mammoth crowd of Governor Aregbesola’s admirers during the governor 2014 re-election mega rally at Osogbo City Stadium last Tuesday.

•

•

10 OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, August 9, 2014

•

Launching Of Osun Students Smart Cards In Osogbo By The Governor, State OfOsun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Last Wednesday. Photo: GBENGA

ADENIYI.

•One of the pupils, Samad Ayomide (right), receiving her smart card from Governor Aregbesola on the occasion.

PHOTOTALK

•A cross section of pupils during the programme.

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd right), cutting the tape of the smart card. With him are, his deputy, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Laoye-Tomori (left) andGeneral Managing Director (GMD), Chams PLC, Sir Demola Aladekomo (right).

•Some of the dignitaries at the event.

11 OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, August 9, 2014News

INEC ‘ll Use Ballot Papers With Different Colours In Each LG - Jega•Police Assures Electorates Of Safety

By SHINA ABUBAKAR

By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

THE Chairman of the Independent National ElectoralCommission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, hasdisclosed that the commission would use ballot

papers with different colours in each local governmentcouncil area in the State of Osun.

He disclosed this at astakeholders’ meetingorganised by INEC held atLeisure Springs Hotel inOsogbo, the state capital,last Wednesday.

According to the him,the ballot papers are alsoserialised to avoidfraudulent conduct duringthe poll.

He said the differentballot papers from onelocal government councilarea would not be useful inanother, should somepeople snatch such ballotpapers during the poll.

He added that thecolours for Osun electionballot papers are differentfrom those used in Ekitiand each party agentwould be given a copy ofstate colour map to knowwhat colour is available ina local government councilarea.

The INEC boss alsodisclosed that anyonecaught with a voter’s cardthat is suspected tobelong to another personor allegedly cloned, will bearrested at the unit andprosecuted.

He said the issue ofcard-cloning is a mereallegation, but added thatnecessary measures arebeing taken to ensure such

issues are dealt with ifdiscovered.

He stressed that theINEC s ad hoc staffershave been mandated togive each party agent acopy of the result of theelection, as soon as it iscounted and recorded andpaste a copy of same onthe wall for the electorateto know the outcome.

Professor Jega however,implored the candidates,political parties andopinion leaders tocooperate with thecommission to ensure thesuccessful conduct of acredible poll in the state.

According to him, thecommission would haveloved to have an electionwithout physical presenceof any security outfit like itis done in developedcountries, but it isunfortunate that the issueof thuggery is stillprevalent in the country.

He however added thatsecurity operatives aredeployed to ensure thesecurity of the electorateto have free atmosphere toexpress their electoral will.

He also cautioned thesecurity operativesdeployed to the state to dotheir job professionallywithout any bias or

political intonation, addingthat no voter should beintimidated nor harassedduring the poll.

Speaking at thegathering, the ActingInspector General ofPolice, Mr Abba, disclosedthat his men and officersare well-prepared to ensurethat the poll is devoid ofviolence.

He reiterated thecommitment of the policeto cooperate with thecommission to ensuresafety of lives of theelectorate, electoralmaterials, as well as ensurethat things are doneappropriately.

He urged the electoratein the state to feel free andsecured to go out duringthe poll to cast their votes

as they wish, without fearof being intimidated orharassed.

He said the lawprohibits anyone fromcanvassing for votes atthe polling units orhindering people fromexercising their civicrights, warning that suchindividual would be aarrested by the police.

He reminded the

stakeholders that noperson is allowed to usesiren or be escorted byuniform personnel topolling units.

However, the peopledisagreed with the IGPover his position that theelectorate should returnhome after casting theirvotes, as their view is tostay back and watch asthings unfold.

Ejigbo Agog As Osun Speaker LeadsCampaign For Aregbesola

EJIGBO, the hometown of the Speaker,State of Osun House of Assembly,Honourable Najeem Salaam, was agog on

Wednesday, as thousands of members andsympathisers of All Progressives Congress (APC)in Ejigbo Local Government Council Area of thestate trooped out en masse for the final campaignfor Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s re-election in thecouncil area.

The campaign, whichwas led Salaam andstarted with a road showfrom Igbo-Owa, snakedthrough the majorstreets of Ejigbo andterminated at the APCSecretariat, Oke Royal,in the ancient town.

As the campaign trainsnaked through thetown, residents werethrown into joyousmood, as traders,motorists andcommercialmotorcyclists abandonedtheir businesses andjoined the train.

Addressing the crowdof APC supporters,Salaam said that thesupports being receivedhas continued to give theAPC and his candidateconfidence to win thepoll, saying that thepeople of the statewould never regret thegesture.

He said: “If not forthe fear of those whoonly believe in rigging,there should not be anyreason for us toentertain any fear, butwith the support we areseeing, we are nowconfident that our votescannot be rigged.

“Let us all translatethe support we aregiving to Aregbesola tovotes and stand by ourvotes, so that we cancontinue to enjoy thedevelopment we havebeen seen everywhere,”he said.

Re-emphasising howto cast votes, he said:“To make sure your votecounts, identify the APClogo on the ballot paper,count three party logosupward and fold itacross, straight andsharply on that logo,then count three partylogos downward again

and do the same thingand thumbprint in theAPC box with a littleeffort, wait to see theink dry, then put yourballot paper in the ballotbox.

“After voting, stayaround and let your votebe counted in yourpresence and we shouldnot be scared of securityoperatives because theyare there to protect us.”

Also speaking, theformer Speaker of theState Assembly,Professor Mojeed Alabi,said that since theelectorate have beenassured of free and fairelection by the electionumpire, there isconfidence thatAregbesola would winthe poll.

He then urged theelectorate to votemassively and stay calmat the polling units untiltheir votes are counted,recorded and announcedin their various units.

Among those on thecampaign train was theSenator RepresentingOsun West, MudashirHussein and some otherAPC leaders in thecouncil area.

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola acknowledging cheers from his supporters at Igbonamarket, Osogbo after his ‘re-election mega rally at Stadium Osogbo last Tuesday. Photo:GBENGA ADENIYI

AnnouncementThe Osun APC situation room can becontacted on the following Numbers1. 081721766172. 081721766183. 081721766144. 081049664025. 081664643526. 081664016197. 081060401418. 070642226879. 0817217661310. 08172176615 For information before, during and after theSaturday August governorship election,members of the public are hereby calledupon to call any of these Situation Roomnumbers.They can also send us mails throughosunapcsituationroom2014@gmail.comLike us on FacebookFollow us on Twitter (@ApcOsun)

Signed:Situation Room Management

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, August 9, 201412 News

OPINION

PDP Begins Move To Bribe Returning Officer With N1bn•Security Operatives To Set Osun On FireFRESH facts emerging ahead of Saturday

governorship poll in the State of Osun haverevealed that the Peoples Democratic Party

(PDP), in connivance with security operatives haveconcluded plans to ensure the poll outcome ismanipulated in favour of its candidate, Senator IyiolaOmisore.

Investigations revealedthat the PDP has resortedto desperate last-minutemove to ensure thatOmisore is declared thewinner of the poll nomatter the decision of theelectorate.

The medium gatheredfrom impeccable sourcesthat the party had alreadycontacted the supposedreturning officer for thepoll, Professor BamitaleOmole, to declare the PDPcandidate as winner andwould be rewarded withN1billion as his share forthe dirty job.

The presence of MrMusiliu Obanikoro in thestate, it was furthergathered, is to ensure thatno riot breaks out after thePDP candidate might havebeen announced.

It was learnt thatObanikoro and Omisoreare using their Ife-

connection to stand on theneck of the Vice-Chancellor of ObafemiAwolowo University(OAU) to announceOmisore as winner, nomatter the odds againsthim.

According to a sourceclose to INEC,compromised staffers ofthe commission have beenholding meetings with theNational Youths ServiceCorps (NYSC) members,who would be used aspresiding officers totamper with the ballotpapers like it was done inEkiti State.

The medium gatheredthat the presiding officershave been instructed tofold the ballot papersvertically before giving itto the electorate in a bid toactivate the alleged tinywire to ensure votes beingcast are erased in favour of

the PDP.It was gathered that the

corps members protestedthe instruction and weretold it is not their business,but must ensure that theyfollow the instruction to theletter.

Similarly, the mediumwas reliably informed thatthe security operatives atthe polling unit would beco-opted into the plan, asthey would allegedly be in

possession of alreadythumb-printed ballotpapers to stuff the boxes,after scaring away votersat each unit.

It was also gathered thatthe PDP is hell bent onensuring that the securityoperatives harass andintimidate the electorate atthe various units, so thatballot papers would not becounted in public glare, allin a desperate move toexecute the evil plans.

Checks also showedthat the ad hoc staff have

been instructed to tie arope at the polling units,with a view to making surethat agents of all theparties are excluded fromknowing what is going onduring the poll, so as toallow the security detailsperfect their evil plans.

Meanwhile, reportsuggests that the topechelon of the DSS haveinstructed their officers onground to make sure theplan works out exceptthere is report of extremeviolence threat by

residents of the state.However, residents of

the state are currentlyprepared for the worse, asthe news spread round thetown, insisting that no onewould determine their fateon their behalf.

It was gathered that theparty was jolted withGovernor Rauf Aregbesolaeducating the votersduring his last rally, hence,the desperate last-minutemove to ensure it wins atall cost

PDP In Fresh Plot To Compromise Corps Members

THE attention of members of the public hasbeen drawn to a fresh move by the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP) to rig the Saturday

governorship election in the State of Osun with the useof the National Youths Service Corps members.

By ISMAEEL UTHMAN

PDP, according tosources, met with some ofthe NYSC members inGbongan, headquarters ofAyedaade LocalGovernment Council Areaof the state on Thursdaymorning and offered themcash to compromise theirprinciples on the electionday.

Part of the favoursought by the PDP fromthe corps members wasthat the ballot papersshould be folded beforegiving it to the voter, as itwas done in the Ekiti Stategovernorship election.

It was gathered that oneof the corps membersturned down the PDP

request, a developmentthat sensitized other NYSCmembers at the meeting.

However, the PDP alsomade an appeal for thecorps members not toallow party agents tocheck the voters’ cards ofthe electoral, as the partymembers would be usingsome fake voters’ cards tovote on the election day.Some of the corpsmembers have agreed tobar the party agents fromchecking the voter cards.

Also, sources close tothe PDP, confided in themedium that PDP met with

all its party agents in at thehouse of the StateChairman, Gani Olaoluwaon Thursday, where theywere told to armthemselves with alreadythumb-printed ballotpapers and drop theminside the ballot box.

The already thumbprinted ballot paperswould be entrusted to thePDP faithful.

The ploy is to make surethat there are over-votingin the stronghold of AllProgressives Congress(APC) in the state.

Osun And PDP’s Mind GameBy LATEEF RAJIAUGUST is finally here, and the countdown to

thegovernorship election in the state has begun inearnest. The man to beat in the election, the

incumbent Governor of the State of Osun, the laconicand irrepressible Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has in thepast three months traversed the nooks and crannies ofthe state showcasing his accomplishments at every turnto justify the people’s confidence with a clear promise ofmore to come when re-elected.

On the other hand, his main challenger, the candidateof the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Iyiola Omisore,lacks any pedigree of previous accomplishments in theservice of the people since his time as deputy governorand later as Senator, and in the absence of anyprogramme or manifesto, he had no option than to resortto boast of deploying the crude might of the powers thatbe in Abuja to decide for the people of Osun.

True to his boasts, like they did in Ekiti, two weeks tothe election, the undue militarization of the State of Osunhas commenced and the dogs of war have begunshooting sporadically everywhere in order to heightentension and intimidate the electorate ahead of theelection.

Like the atoko wa ba ile je that they are, they havesimilarly recruited mercenaries from the Niger Delta, andthe goons are on ground as well. This, however, is thegreater insult and the salt on the injury. Importing a bandof ill-bred and uncouth thugs to come and truncate thewishes of the people of the cradle of civilization.

However, unlike Ekiti, where they had a free reignbecause we were caught unawares as a result of ourunderestimation of their level of desperation, we nowhave all of these facts and much more, and I make bold toassert that the game is up for the PDP in the South West.The election of 9th August will be a turning-point forNigerians, as we begin to roll back the fortunes of thePDP that has inflicted pain and sorrow on the countryand its people ahead of the fateful year of 2015.

Basking in the euphoria of their victory in Ekiti,members and leadership of the PDP had no inhibition toequate the singular occurrence that shocked all criticalobservers for acceptance in Yorubaland. They see Osunas a walkover. Billions of Naira have been moved in tobribe, seduce and influence our people.

The fact, however, is that the State of Osun presents adifferent political terrain in comparison to Ekiti.

The issues that are germane to the average voter inOsun are far removed from those that played out in Ekiti.The traditional societies made up of Oyos, Ijesas,Igbominas, Ifes, Ibolos, etc. will place a higher premium

on the quality of education for their children, availabilityof healthcare services, functional infrastructure that havebeen the priority of the Government of Rauf Aregbesolathan the populist pretentions of an Ayo Fayose aptlyaped by Iyiola Omisore in his public appearances.

They have equally taken little cognizance of thetemerity of the man they are up against, aside themonumental achievements recorded by Governor RaufAregbesola, which are in themselves sufficient to see himthrough; he is a grassroots man and had alwaysidentified with the people and is always to be found intheir midst. Little surprise he is so popular, and theyfound it convenient to relate with him unlike the corn-eating Baba Suwe.

The cohesion APC enjoys in Osun is one criticalsuccess factor that would ensure victory for OgbeniAregbesola. There is no crisis within the APC in Osun.The party is one, and everybody is working together forAregbesola’s victory. The loss of APC in Ekiti State waspremised on so many factors that are confounding andrequires time to unravel. No doubt, the exodus of someparty stalwarts or stakeholder’s equally paved way forthe victory of Fayose.

Like the saying goes ‘’the cream would always settleat the top’’ which depicts that Ogbeni’s performance isenough to make him coast to victory with little or minimaleffort. Ogbeni Rauf has preformed creditably like KayodeFayemi but not taking any chance, which explains whyhe has been able to engage the people with grassrootsprogrammes like ‘Ogbeni until day break, GbangbaD’ekun, to mention a few, which shows how connectedhe is to the grassroots.

The good people of Osun are not only sophisticatedbut very wise, and they can discern. The death of theformer Attorney General and Minister of Justice is stillvery fresh in the minds of Osun people. His allegedinvolvement in Bola Ige’s murder continues to ring in theheads of the people. The good news is that, PDP as aparty lost the State of Osun gubernatorial election thevery day Omisore was imposed as the flag bearer of theparty via a kangaroo primary. His character andantecedents as an alleged murderer, thug and fraudsterare enough to convince the people to vote theincumbent. Notwithstanding, Omisore is aware of thisbut would be banking on the support from Abuja to righim to power, but Osun people would resist any form ofmilitarization and rigging.

The umbrella suffered a setback when one of their

strong pillars in Osun state, Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke,defected to the APC based on the fact that thefoundation of the party was based on deceits andfalsehoods. The whole of Osun East Senatorial districtsare now solidly behind Ogeni Aregbesola. Not that alone,but the geopolitical demographics and permutationscurrently favor the incumbent.

Rauf Aregbesola’s empowerment programme hasimpacted on lives in almost every home in the state ofOsun having employed twenty thousand young and ableyouths in his first 100 days in office. He feeds schoolchildren across the state with balanced diet meals daily.Ogbeni’s administration introduction of Opon Imo, ahigh-tech educational electronic device or tablet hasrevolutionized learning in the state.

The last straw that broke the camel’s back for SenatorIyiola Omisore of the PDP was his inability to presenthimself to the people of the state in a well-publicized debate organized with the support of someinternational agencies. The debate would have given theelectorate ample opportunity to clarify some burningissues with regards to several allegations leveled againsthim (Omisore). The highest level of disdain for the Osunvoters was the fact that he couldn’t attend a debate in astate he wishes to govern but came down to Lagos tohold an interview with a private TV station.

At this juncture, it behooves on APC to challengeINEC to fast-track the distribution of permanent voter’scard (PVC) to avert the insinuation of rigging, which issynonymous with the PDP style of “winning” elections.These they have done in several places but the goodpeople of Osun would vehemently resist any suchshenanigan.

On a last note, it is confounding that it is the PDP thathas raped and reaped so much from the country’sattempt at democratic rule that has become the greatestthreat to its sustenance with its intolerance of theopposition.

They have refused to learn from the experience of theNPC and the NPN before them. For State of Osun andcome 2015, we are prepared and better organized in a waythat the armed men they have shipped in, in order tointimidate our people and suppress popular will, will endup turning the barrels on themselves, and on the dayafter they shall depart the State of Osun in shame withtheir tails tucked in between their hind legs.

•Lateef is a Special Adviser to the Governor of LagosState on Information and Strategy, writes in from Lagos.

13 OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, August 9, 2014INTERVIEW

Aregbesola Is Committed to ImprovingPeople’s Lots - USA Oranmiyan Chair

Dr Lateef Opawoye is the Chairman, Oranmiyan Group, USA chapter and he hails from Osogbo,capital of the State of Osun.

In an interview with our reporter, KAZEEM MOHAMMED in his Osogbo home recently, hespoke on the development going on in Osun and the need to re-elect Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola forsecond term. Excerpts:-

OSDF: Why did you decide totake on the OranmiyanGroup in USA?

OPAWOYE: Where we are in US,community orientation and participationis very important and when you live ina civilised area, you should pick goodthings that can benefit your people backat home. We believe that those of usabroad, we should be able to contributeto the progress of Osun and we haveseen an appropriate platform inOranmiyan Group. We have seen whatthe present government is doing ascommendable and what we are doingis to contribute our own development.That is what is paramount to us.

OSDF: Can you compare thepolitics over there to the politicshere in Nigeria?

OPAWOYE: You cannot comparethe politics over there to politics here,being that the way and manner thing aredone over there is vastly difference.There are only two major parties andthose parties are civil, no rancourbefore and after the election. Even whenthey are doing their political campaigns,nobody is going to attack or killanybody. More so, anybody that isappointed or elected into the house isaccountable. They must be servants ofthe people because anything they do,they must report back and if you don’treport back, you would be voted out.

But here in Nigeria, there is nothinglike that. People get huge amount ofmoney for constituency projects andthey pocket it. Subsequently, you beginto see them with different cars, housesand other material things. They will besquandering the money that belongs tothe people on personal aggrandisement.When you are elected, you are electedto seek what can benefit the people,but unfortunately that is not happeninghere in Nigeria.

OSDF: Who can we blame forthese anomalies, the leadership orfollowership?

OPAWOYE: It is followership.OSDF: How?OPAWOYE: If I am elected to

represent the people around here, bytomorrow morning, what you see ispeople coming to demand for money.Some will say I want to pay for mychildren school fees; some will say mywife just delivered yesterday; some willask for money for burial and many more.That is an opportunity you are creatingfor them to steal because what they getas a salaries cannot be enough for whatpeople are asking and I think it is aquestion of education.

OSDF: What are those things

that you have seen in Aregbesolathat makes you to go with him?

OPAWOYE: It is because he has avery good idea to develop the state.His major concern is how to raise themasses from mat to mattress; where thepeople can improve their lots. Once youtake off poverty, you have goodeducation and good healthcare, the restis history. If you and I can get a decentwage and get my business, there willbe no reason for me to demand formoney from anybody again. If I amemployed by setting up a business, Iwill employ someone else and gradually,poverty will be eradicated. If you canfeed people by giving them land to farm,you have done a lot and that is part ofwhat Aregbesola has done. When thatis done, you have less people todemand from government andsubsequently development will come.

OSDF: Will you say his policiesare in line with what operatesabroad?

OPAWOYE: The idea ofempowering the people, making themto be engaged as being done are in linewith what operate abroad and in aWestern World as a whole. It is goodto copy a good thing, but our peopledon’t do that, when they go abroad andsee good things, they will not bother toreplicate it at home like Aregbesola isdoing. For example, about two yearsago, Ogbeni came to US for a projectwhich I was championing and on ourway to Colorado, they were doing roadconstruction and when he saw it, heasked the driver to stop. He saw thatthe asphalt they were laying was so thickas if they are decking a house and thereand then he said, “we should be able toreplicate this back at home”. Those arethe ones who want to learn and readyto bring development to the state. Thatis why we appreciate him.

OSDF: The governorshipelection in Osun is fixed for August9 and the polity has started been

heating up by series of politicalactivities, what do you see in thatelection?

OPAWOYE: Our people are notblind, they see what is happening. Oneof those that are desperate to occupythe governorship seat had been adeputy governor, from there he wentto the Senate and occupies a verypowerful position, but he has nothingto show for it. Even a blind or a deafknows that Aregbesola is doing verywell in terms of bringing developmentto the state because all the developmentwe are seen now were not possibleunder the last government. You candrive around Osogbo and other townsconveniently. Which other governmenthas ever done that?

One argument that I don’t like to hearis that he borrowed money and even ifhe does, he has spent it judiciously,because some people have borrowedthat money in the past, there was nothingthey achieve. We have passed the ageof being deceived, they will just promiseand won’t deliver, but in the case ofAregbesola, he has promised and hehas delivered. People see that there isdevelopment and I am sure they knowthe decision to take through theirelection because they would not wantthat development to stop.

OSDF: But the PDP people aresaying that they will use Ekitistrategy to win Osun election, whatis your comment?

OPAWOYE: I don’t know thestrategy they used and I cannotcomment on it, but what I heard aboutscientific rigging is possible, because inthe last election in US during the Obamaand Romney election, it happened. Evenin my unit where I voted, when peoplevoted for Obama, it jumps to Romney,but there and then, the peoplecomplained to electoral officers andthey just whisked away all the machinesbeing used and replaced them. That maynot be possible here because they maynot have a spare one.

So, technically what they claimed hashappened in Ekiti as scientific rigging ispossible.

OSDF: What is your message tothe people of Osun?

OPAWOYE: The people of Osunshould see beyond their tummy, theyshould see beyond the lies being toldby the opposition party, especially thePDP and thinks about the future of theirchildren. When you have a goodeducation, good healthcare system,good road as being presently witnessed,you will live a better life.

•OPAWOYE

14 OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, August 9, 2014FEATURE

State Of Osun, The Land Of Chief BolaIge, Will Speak Loudly On August 9HISTORY has shown that

we forget things easily inNigeria. We do not

remember things easily, we donot look at past events, and wemove on as if yesterday neverexisted. Nigeria has gone througha chequered history, seen manywars, seen many tragedies andrecorded sordid and awkwardevents. Yet, whenever we scalethrough these calamities, ourbags and luggage are dusted upand businesses go on as usual.Questions are not raised,answers are not expected, nosolution proffered and the rotcontinues unabated.

But the events of December23, 2001 will not be forgotten ina hurry. On that day, Chief BolaIge, the Attorney General andMinister of justice of theFederation, was murdered inIbadan at peace time in Nigeria.Before the tragedy of December23, 2001, something unusual inYorubaland took place in thePalace of Ooni of Ife, whereChief Bola Ige was physicallyassaulted and his cap removedby thugs put together by IyiolaOmisore. After that ugly incident,Mr Iyiola Omisore granted aninterview to the defunct TempoMagazine, where he almost ateChief Bola Ige alive. In thatinterview, Omisore prepared andwetted the ground for Chief BolaIge’s death. Chief Bola Ige wasmurdered on December 23,2001. The rest is now history.

Iyiola Omisore and his gangwere arrested and put in prisoncustody. From prison, Omisorewas rewarded by PDP with avery questionable mandate to goto the Senate, a great chambermeant for decent men andwomen. He went to the Senate.Meanwhile, the shoddy way theFederal Government handled theso-called trial of Omisore andthose accused with him formurdering Bola Ige was enoughto churn the stomach. It was sobad that on the very day thosethat confessed of killing Bola Igewere acquitted through a shamtrial, the wife of Bola Ige, JusticeAtinuke Ige, a judge of the Courtof Appeal, died of heart attack.It is now 13 years after the tragicevent and no one has beenprosecuted for killing Chief BolaIge, a sitting Minister of theFederal Republic and the nation’s

number one law officer.The only offence Chief Bola

Ige committed then was that hegave the PDP-controlledFederation Government he wasserving as a Minister of Justice,the information that he wasleaving to work for his party,Alliance for Democracy (AD) inthe coming elections. He neverlived to fulfill that dream. Thenest of killers led by IyiolaOmisore stopped him in the mostbizarre and callous manner. Hiswife, Justice Atinuke Ige, alsodied as a result of the shock shereceived during the trial of so-called killers of Chief Bola Ige.

Saturday August 9, 2014 isagain decision time for who willpreside over the affairs of theState of Osun, the land of ChiefBola Ige and Omisore, theprincipal suspect in the brutalmurder suspect is standing forelection under the platform ofPDP. Omisore has beengallivanting all over Osun,pretending that Osun people haveforgotten the ugly events of thepast 13 years. He has beenpretending to love Osun people

more than anyone else, ridingon Okada and buying corns bythe road-side pretending to bea grassroots man. No, Osunpeople are wise people andthey know their leaders.

I do not want to believe thatNigeria is a basket because Iwill be indicting myself but oursense of history worries me.How can we easily forgetChief Bola Ige, Justice AtinukeIge and others? How can webe eating our food in the midstof human waste? How can wecontinue to pretend thatyesterday does not matter?How can the worst in ourmidst be the ones to remain inthe front page and driver’sseat? How can the blindcontinue to lead people witheyes? How can the crippledbe our commanders in a warsituation? How can the deafand dumb be ourspokespersons? Rewardingcriminals and murderers hasbeen the greatest threat tonational unity in this country.It has at once exposed Nigeriaas a country for scammers,fraudsters and vagabonds.

I consider it the biggest joke

of the 21st Century in Nigeria thatan Ayo Fayose will defeat a Dr.Fayemi in Ekiti State and someNigerians will be celebrating it. Iconsider it an absurd and an affrontthat in this stage and age in Nigeria,an Omisore of all persons will be acontender in Osun gubernatorialrace, as if we are all historical idiots.No, Nigeria can do better than this.

Now, if the State of Osun stillremains the land of Chief Bola Iges,Omisore is no match to GovernorAregbesola. If the State of Osun stillremains the land of the Iges, I knowthen that history cannot bereversed. A friend, BayoOluwasanmi once told me that“Yorubas are not gullible,manipulable and downright callous.We have long and enduringmemory. Yoruba do not anointthieves, fools, saboteurs, traitorsand hoodlums as heroes andheroines. Yoruba do not drive a carforward by looking at the rearmirror. Yoruba do not use shoes forhammers, newspapers for umbrella,and a fingernail to tight a screw” Ilike this so much and I have beenquoting it always.

Saturday August 9, 2014 will bea date with history in State of Osun.It is a day PDP will be told in thestrongest terms that apples andoranges are not the same. It is aday PDP will come to terms withthe phenomenon called GovernorRauf Aregbesola in the State ofOsun. Omisore and his fortymurderous thieves will meet onAregbesola with the strength ofSamson, Wisdom of Solomon, theHumility of Daniel and theCharacter of Abraham. In the Stateof Osun, Omisore’s PDP will meeta performer, an achiever, a leaderand a popular governor.

In the State of Osun , Omisoreand his co-travelers will meet a greatand consummate mobilizer in theclass of President Obama of theUnited States . Come SaturdayAugust 9 2014, the world will knowa Governor Rauf Aregbesola is nopushover in Nigeria’s politicalequations and calculations. OnSaturday this case will be settled forgood and Nigerians will learn alesson or two and possibly start therecovery of the country from theland of anomie where PDP hasdragged it for fifteen years. Till then!

•Culled from NIGERIAVILLAGE SQUARE Website.

By JOE IGBOKWE

•IGE

15 OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, August 9, 2014PHOTOTALK

•

More Pix On All Progressives Congress (APC) 2014 Governorship Re-election OfOgbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s Mega Rally At Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, State OfOsun, Last Tuesday. Photo: SIKIRU ADEOYE-YUSUF

•The governor, State Of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s being presented with a party flag during his re-election mega rally At Osogbo City Stadium last Tuesday.

•A cross section of APC supporters.

•Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole (left); Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi (3rd left); Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun (3rd right);Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi (2nd left); Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mrs Adejoke Elope-Adefulure (right); Senator Isiaka Adeleke and other dignitaries.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 2014

www.osundefender.org THE 5TH MOST-VISITED NEWSPAPER WEBSITE IN NIGERIA

OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guaranty Trust Bank GTB, Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun. Allcorrespondence to the Managing Editor, KOLA OLABISI, Telephone: 08033927286 (kolaolabisi@yahoo.com); Editor, KAYODE AGBAJE, Telephone: 0803-388-0205, E-mail:osundefender@yahoo.com, kayodeagbaje@yahoo.com. ISSN: 0794-8050.Website: www.osundefender.org.

AT long last, the State of Osungubernatorial election isless than 24 hours away. In

all, there are twenty gladiators tovie for the office of the governorof the state.

Among the serious contendersare the sitting governor, Mr RaufAregbesola, who is also thecandidate of the ruling party, AllProgressives Congress (APC) andthe candidate of PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP), SenatorIyiola Omisore. Alhaji FataiAkinbade of the Labour Party (LP)is by available opinion poll, trailingin a distant third position.

These candidates havetransversed the whole state to selltheir manifestoes to the people andhave convinced the electorate whythey should be voted for.

The 8-point programme of thePDP is yet to be known by manypeople. What, however, is popularwith the PDP candidate is that hewould reverse all that thegovernment of Aregbesola hasdone. To him, the uniformprescribed for students in the stateis a “slave uniform” which wouldbe taken away from them if elected.Still on education, the PDPcandidate has promised to bringback schools into their formerpositions but this has not beenproperly elucidated. WouldOmisore pull down the newstructures that Aregbesola’sgovernment has put in places or hewill suspend others that have yetto be built?

Omisore also did not see reasonwhy the state should have a garmentfactory in the state, where it (thestate) went into competition withthe local fabric dealers, tailors andseamstresses.

Essentially, the campaign ofOmisore has centred on whatAregbesola has done. One wouldhave thought that he would comeout openly to sell his manifesto tothe people on which he would beassessed if he is lucky enough tobe voted for. In the case ofAregbesola, he had a pact with theelectorate of Osun in 2007, whenin his green booklet, he statedclearly what he desired to achieve.He did not stop there. He allocatedtimeline to some of his projects.

He promised that he wouldprovide 20,000 people withemployment within his first 100days in office. This, Aregbesola didwith the Osun Youth EmpowermentScheme (OYES). He hasimplemented two streams of OYEStotaling 40,000 youthempowerment. The third scheme

is on-going now. The uniquefeature of this programme is thatit is non-discriminatory; as long asthe person involved is from theState of Osun. Incidentally, thegreatest beneficiaries of thescheme are off-springs andrelatives of members of the PDP.

The PDP candidate’s edge,according to him, is the fact thathe has traversed the whole stateand visited every nook and canny.True as that assertion may be, whatis his selling point? He boastsabout the fact that he is the nextgovernor of the state and thatAregbesola should be counting hisdays in the office. Democracyallows that boast, but ultimately,it is the decision of the people thatreally matters.

The President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces,President Goodluck Jonathan wasin the state last Saturday and he didpromise that security would befully mobilized for the election on

Saturday.Already, we have seen contingent

of the military, members of theDepartment of the State Security(DSS) the first amongst them to bedeployed.

The Nigeria Security and DefenceCorps (NSCDC) are also in townfor the election. If the experiencein Ekiti State is anything to go by,then the people of the state havesomething to fear.

Political stalwarts of the rulingparty in the state were arrested onthe eve of election and releasedlater.

Already, an APC chieftain inObokun Local GovernmentCouncil Area of the state wasallegedly arrested with no knowninfringement of the law.

All said and done, one would haveexpected the President to actstatesmanly in his utterances inOsogbo.

Granted the fact that he expectsviolence-free election in the state;

AUDACIOUSEXPLOIT

withMURTALA AGBOOLA

TEL: 0806-119-7897E-mail: murtalamuag@yahoo.com

As Osun Goes To Poll

he should have mobilized the sameforces for Chibok, Borno State. Ifthe security operatives aredeployed for security purposesonly, there would be no cause foralarm.

The facts on ground, however,show that the ruling party in thestate has done enough to justify re-election. It is my fervent hope thatby the time the results are released,the will of the people would prevail.The election in Ekiti may not serveas a precedent for Osun for obviousreasons. The personalities involvedare different.

By every standard, Aregbesolahas done in almost four years, whatthe previous government could notdo. Omisore has held offices in twodifferent situations. As a deputygovernor before he was impeached,was there any indelible mark toshow for his stay in GovernmentHouse?

Also as a senator for eight years,what was his achievement? He wasalso the chairman of theAppropriation Committee of thered chamber. What can the peopleof the Osun East SenatorialDistrict remember him for?

By now we expect him to lay hiscards on the table for people tocritically assess. The voters in theState of Osun are privileged to haveas candidates, contestants that haveheld offices at one time of theother. It is the basis on which theywould be assessed.

This is the time for politicking,hence innuendos can be put up inthe public space as a fact. Theindigenes of the state know thedifference between how the statewas and what it is now.

If the will of the people isanything to go by, then we shouldbe rest assured that there would beno problem about the re-electionof the sitting governor. However,in election matters, there could beroom for manipulations and otherscheming. This is why there is theneed for extra vigilance on the partof the voters to ensure that theyvote correctly and their votescount.

By the time the result isreleased; hopefully the majority ofthe voters will sing praises to theLord for a successful conduct ofelection.

For those who have turned thevoter’s card into a purchasablecommodity procuring them as if itis going out of existence, onehopes that they would reap thedividends of their workappropriately. Above every otherthing, I pray to the Almighty Godto give us this day and let us voteaccordingly.

•Professor ATTAHIRU JEGA