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Front Page Comment

•Body of the late Chief Imam Of Osogboland and President-General, League of Imams and Alfas, South-West, Edo and Delta states,Sheik Mustapha Ajisafe, being carried by well-wishers during the special prayer for him at Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, State ofOsun, last Wednesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI. - Pg 2

- See StoryOn Page 2

- Pg 3

- See StoryOn Page 3

Osun APC Counsel EngagesTribunal Over Petition To NJC

Governorship Election:

Presidency Turns AgainstOmisore On Tribunal

•... Seeks Removal Of Tribunal’s Chair PresidencyTurns AgainstOmisore OnTribunalOsun: PDP Lawyer,Minister’s Brother,Causes Stir At INECOffice

Chief Imam OfOsogbo Laid To Rest•It Is A Big Loss- Aregbesola

•RoughhandlesAPC Counsel

- Pg 4

Weeks before theAugust 9th gubernato-rial elections which waswon by the pragmaticOgbeni RaufAregbesola of the APC,it was obvious we wereup against forces otherthan the people of Osunstate which naturallyshould be the determi-nant of

how the elections willswing. The Allprogressives Congress(APC) still smartingfrom its shocking defeatin the previous Ekitielections had literarilysworn it will lose Osunover its dead body. Themurderous villain fieldedby the Peoples Demo-cratic

The War Called The OsunElections; By Segun Tomori

Party (PDP), outrightlyunpopular with barely afew dozens of peopletrailing him at campaignshowever woretheconfidence of a Gover-nor-In-waiting.

He they didn’t care ahoot about the people’swish, all that matterswas the full complimentof the paraphernalia ofState activated by an

imperial Presidentthough utterly clueless,but desperate to addOsun to his conquestin furtherance of hisstill-born second termbid. So lo and behold,the die was cast!Ihave not been emo-tionally attached toany elections inNigeria as I was withthe Osun elections,

maybe June 12, 1993Presidential electionspresumed to have beingwon by my President,M.K.O Abiola could bean exception.It wasn’t because I hadaffinity with anyone inOgbeni’s government orbecause I enjoyed anyform of patronage butbecause

Continue on pg5

2 OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014News

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, addressing the civil servants, who trouped out en-masse torejoice with him after his victory for second term in office. With him are: From left, Speaker of the State House ofAssembly, Hon. Najeem Salam; State Head of service, Mr Sunday Owoeye; Deputy Governor, Otunba (Mrs) TitiLaoye-Tomori; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr Gboyega Oyetola; Secretary to the State Government, AlhajiMoshood Adeoti and other dignitaries, at the Governor’s Office, Abere, State of Osun, on Wednesday.

By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

By KEHINDE AYANTUNJI

Osun APC Counsel Engages Tribunal Over Petition To NJC

THE Chairman, Osun State Election Petition Tribunal,Justice Sulaiman Ambrusa, was confronted by counselto Governor Rauf Aregbesola and the All Progressives

Congress (APC), Mr Kunle Adegoke, on Tuesday over theparty’s petition to the National Judicial Council (NJC)against the composition of the newly-constituted tribunal.

This was just as the tribunalchairman vowed that nobodywould compromise his panel,no matter the amount suchperson offers.

These came up at the sittingof the tribunal in Osogbo,hearing the petition filed by thePeoples Democratic Party(PDP) and its candidate in theAugust 9, 2014 governorshipelection, Iyiola Omisore,against the victory of GovernorRauf Aregbesola and his party,APC, at the election.

Adegoke argued that there

was a petition sent to the NJCby the APC against theconstitution of the panel,saying that based on thispetition, confidence in thepanel was in doubt.

The petition, he noted, waswritten to the NJC, followingthe constitution of the newpanel, after the first tribunal,headed by Justice I.M Bakohad been disbanded, based ona petition written against it byAccord Party (AP).

According to him, whenconfidence in the tribunal is

being called to question, the wayout for the chairman andmembers of such panel was toexcuse themselves from thematter.

While responding, the tribunalchairman said since the APC hadforwarded a petition to the NJC,the decision of the council wouldbe awaited before any decisionis taken, saying the tribunalcould not disqualify itself basedon mere allegations.

He noted that the tribunal isready to step down, should therebe need for it, but assured thatthe tribunal would ensure itfollows the law and evidencepresented before it to arrive atits decisions.

“Nobody has asked me to doanything for him on this case andnobody can enforce his wisheson me, except to determine the

case before us according to thelaw and evidence before us.

“We are not here foranybody and I can assure youthat nobody can compromisethis tribunal for anything.

“I prefer to die of hunger,rather than collecting moneyfrom anybody to do his wisheson this case,” he insisted.

Meanwhile, counsel toAregbesola and the APC,Adegoke, had asked the courtto reverse the initial order of thetribunal, that granted the PDPapplication for the inspectionof election materials.

Moving the applicationbefore the court, Adegoke statedthat the petitioner’s counsel didnot follow the precedence laiddown for such request to begranted.

He said the order was granted

because the tribunal wasoblivious of the defect in themotion, stressing that the ordershould be set aside.

Ruling on the applicationwas adjourned till Friday,August 12, 2014.

Earlier, the tribunal hadgranted an exparte applicationbrought by Omisore and thePDP counsel, Mr AfolabiFasanu (SAN), asking the courtto allow them serve GovernorRauf Aregbesola with a copy oftheir petition throughalternative means.

The chairman of the tribunalin a ruling directed that a copyof the petition should be pastedat the gate of the StateGovernment House.

A similar order was alsogranted the counsel to theAccord Party, Mr Bisi

Adedayo, as the court directedthat his client’s petition shouldbe dropped at the APCSecretariat in Ogo-Oluwa,Osogbo.

Addressing journalists afterthe tribunal sitting, Adegokesaid he was satisfied that thetribunal chairman was able tomake some explanations on theissues he raised aboutconfidence in the panel andpromised to do justice to thematter.

He assured that the APCwould take the tribunalchairman by his words, andexpressed his optimism that thepanel would do justice to thematter before it.

Also, counsel to the PDP,Fasanu said he has confidencein the tribunal that justice wouldbe done to the matter.

Chief Imam Of Osogbo Laid To Rest•It Is A Big Loss - Aregbesola

THE remains of the late Chief Imam of Osogbo land,Sheik Olayiwola Ajisafe, was laid to rest onWednesday in Osogbo, the state capital, after Jenazah

prayers was held at Osogbo City Stadium.The body of the late

President General of the NigeriaLeague of Imams and Alfasarrived into the waiting armsof Islamic scholars, MuslismUmmarh within and outside thestate, which included theChairmen, League of Imamsfrom Lagos, Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo,Edo and Delta states.

The governor of the State ofOsun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola,his wife, Alhaja SerifatAregbesola, led the stategovernment delegation andother important dignitaries tothe prayer for the repose of thesoul of the late Ajisafe.

Thousands of Muslimfaithful and Ummarh, whowere at the stadium, when thecasket bearing the body of theof the Muslim leader wasdriven in around 11.05 am,could not hold back their tears.

The remains were latertaken to the residence of thelate Imam for final burial.

The Sultan of Sokoto, AlhajiMohammad Saa’d wasrepresented by Professor DaudDuribi, the Executive Secretary,South West Muslim Ummarhs.

Speaking at the programme,Governor Aregbesola describedthe late Imam as a veryknowledgeable man, who wasalways looking for ways touplift the religion and his state.

He recalled how the latecleric was always praying forthe peaceful conduct of the lastgubernatorial election, which

showed that he loved hiscommunity and state dearly.

He said that the death ofSheikh Ajisafe was a big lossto the Muslim Ummah inOsogbo, as well as the entirestate because he preachedpeace and unity while alive,adding that his preachings athome and his gospel of Islamicscholarship would be greatlymissed.

While praying for therepose of the soul of the latecleric, Aregbesola urgedmembers of various Muslimsocieties to continue the goodworks Sheik Ajisafe started,adding that it is the only wayto immortalise the departedcleric, who he described as thepride of Osun in particular andNigeria as a whole.

The governor, who citedvarious verses from the HolyQuran, said the death of Ajisafewas a lesson to all humanbeings that regardless ofhuman status in the society,death is inevitable.

He said: “Every part ofhuman life, includinggreatness, is the wisdom andblessing of God. Once it iscertain that one day, we aregoing to die, that is why wemust always have the fear ofGod. This is another clearevidence that there is no onethat will not die, regardless ofour status.”

In a lecture delivered by theChief Missioner of the Ansar-

-Ul-Deen Islamic Society ofNigeria, Sheik Dr AbdulramAhmad, he described death asinevitable.

He pointed out that it wasvery certain that all humanbeings must die, while urging alland sundry to live everyday oftheir life as if it is their last dayon earth.

The missioner, admonished

Orolu CelebratesAregbesola’s Victory

By ABOSEDE AKINPELU

THE ancient town of Ifon-Osun, headquarters of OroluLocal Government Council Area of the State of Osun,recently went agog, as mammoth crowd and sea of

heads, as leaders, members, supporters, party members andsupporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ifon-Osun gathered last Sunday to celebrate the victory and re-election of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola for a second term in thejust-concluded gubernatorial election in the state.

The Orolu APC used theoccasion to thank God and theentire people of Ifon-Osun thatcontributed one way or theother to the success story ofthe APC before, during andafter the election, irrespectiveof the heavy militarization,victimization and harassmentperpetrated by the PDP leadersand members.

While speaking at the event,State Deputy Treasurer of theAPC, Prince Adekunle Benson,pointed out that the purposeof the event was to showappreciation to God and allparty members for the conductof the poll.

Benson also stated that ifnot for the overwhelmingsupport of the people of thestate and divine intervention,the victory would have beendifficult to get.

The State House ofAssembly memberrepresenting Irepodun/OroluConstituency, HonourableOyedele Kamil, attributedAregbesola’s victory to hisunprecedented developmentalprojects, which his

administration executed in thelast 46 months.

He also said that the peopleof Orolu have proven somepeople wrong, as PDP wasmercilessly defeated during theelection.

He therefore pleaded withthe governor and thegovernment of the state to helpfinding lasting solution to somestate roads linking Ifon toIlawe, Janta-Ikunsin,Okuniletu-Owode and theinherited Ojutu Bridge,purposely to bring rapiddevelopment to the people ofthe area.

The Orolu APC leader,Alhaji Kilani Orisawale andOrolu APC Chairman, AlhajiGaniyu Ibrahim, eulogizedOgbeni Aregbesola for hisunusual achievements andurged the people of the stateto continue supporting APC inthe forthcoming elections.

He said: “The victoryrecorded by the governor in thelast governorship election hasbeen attributed to the show oflove and commitment by thepeople of the State of Osun.”

the gathering to see themselvesas pilgrims on earth, saying thatevil doers should forsake theirevil ways and live a holy life.

Also speaking, the Sultan ofSokoto, Mohammed Sa’adAbubakar, represented byProfessor Daud Noibi, stressedthe need for all human beingsto strive to serve Allah till theend time.

He prayed to AlmightyAllah to forgive the late Imanof his sins and grant himAljanna Fidaus .

Ebola Virus Is A Security Challenge To AnyCountry - Aregbesola

THE governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni RaufAregbesola, on Thursday highlighted not only thehealth, but the the security challenges posed to any

country by the scourge of Ebola virus.

The governor, who conveyeda state security council andstakeholders’ meeting on theprevention of Ebola virusdisease, at the GovernmentHouse Banquet Hall, held thatany country under the threat ofthe epidemic, risks losing itssovereignty.

Aregbesola pointed out thatall hands must be on deck onhow to checkmate the diseasefrom entering the state, sayingthe state’s meagre resourcesshould be concentrated onbringing about massiveeconomic development.

The governor stressed thatmost of the countries affectedare almost losing theirsovereignty because of theEbola.

He said: “We should not seethe disease as an ordinary health

challenge, but a situation thatcan be seen as a securityproblem for a state or a nation.That is why I have called allthe security chiefs and allstakeholders to this meeting.

“I am happy that we nowhave a big relief in the stateagainst the rumour of the virusin the state. God forbids it, Ihave been troubled ever sincethe news broke. How could wehave coped with the littleresources of the state? Youshould now go out to tell theworld that there is no Ebola inOsun and that we will preventits manifestation here at allcost.

“With all these countriesaround us, there are countrieslike Liberia, Sierra-Leone,Guinea and Congo that we needto support because they are too

close for the comfort of ourcountry. Our prayer is that thedisease will not have place tostay in our land,” the governorprayed.

Speaking at the meeting, theSpecial Adviser to GovernorAregbesola on Health, Dr. RafiuIsamotu, noted that the statehealth ministry is prepared forthe disease.

“We have set up variouscommittees, comprising fiveministries, meeting andsensitising peo ple on what todo and we have distributedpersonal protective equipmentto hospitals in the state.

“The ministry is not leavingany stone unturned on theissue of this Ebola virus.Personnel of our ministry areout to sensitize marketwomen, members of NationalUnion of Road and TransportWorkers and other artisans.Jingle and enlightenmentprogrammes are also on radioand television on how toprevent it,” Dr. Isamotu said

Also the representative of

the Vice-Chancellor, ObafemiAwolowo University,Professor Olaniyi Onayemi,said the university communityis happy that the governor isinterested in making the stateEbola-free.

“The rumour that Ebolaentered Osun through theuniversity is false. In OAU, wehave set up committees oncampus and also had a seminaron Ebola in school. We haveforms for them to fill that willgive a lead to where they havebeen before resumption.

“It was in the process thatwe got a lady, who came out tosay that she had contact will avictim in Port Harcourt. Shewas taken to Lagos and thefirst test result showed that sheis Ebola Negative.

“Foreign students have beenasked to stay back for thesession, while those around,who have not gone out of thecountry have been screened. Asof now, the reported lady isEbola-free,” the university dontold the meeting.

•... Seeks Removal Of Tribunal’s Chair

3 News OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014

If you have a story or advert for us, contact 08033927286, 08033880205, 08061197897, 08023191891.

•An ongoing East By Pass road project in Osogbo, State of Osun, under the administration of Governor RaufAregbesola as captured by our cameraman, GBENGA ADENIYI, last Wednesday.

By ISMAEEL UTHMAN

Presidency Turns Against Omisore On Tribunal

SENATOR Iyiola Omisore, the candidate of the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP) in the last gubernatorialelection in the State of Osun, is currently at

loggerheads with the Presidency over his resolve tochallenge the victory of Governor Rauf Aregbesola at theelection petition tribunal.

The Presidency,according to sources, haswithdrawn its support forOmisore’s petition, which itdescribed as a distraction tothe re-election of PresidentGoodluck Jonathan.

According to impeccablesources, President Jonathanand the national leaders ofthe PDP wanted alllitigations instituted by anyPDP chieftain, including theelection petition at the OsunTribunal, to stop, to avoiddistractions that can lead tothe destruction of thepresident’s ambition.

A national leader of thePDP, who pleadedanonymity, confirmed thePresidency decision, whilespeaking with OSUNDEFENDER on Monday inOsogbo.

The PDP chieftain said: ”Many of us now seeOmisore’s pursuit of any

legal procedure to changethe outcome of the result asa distraction. This is not thetime for distractions. It is

time for all of us in this greatparty to focus on getting thepresident re-elected. Anyother thing is counter-productive.”

He referred to the PDP’sprimaries in Adamawa State,where the party re-considered the ActingGovernor, havingdisqualified him earlier, as asign of the president’s

resolve to ward-off anydistractions on his secondterm ambition.

According to him:“Omisore’s petition at thetribunal is not suitable toPresident Jonathan’sambition. The money to bespent on the litigation couldbe used to mobilizeelectorate for the president.Enough money had been

expended on the election.There is no need to wastemore.

“President Jonathan isbattling with so manychallenges on his secondterm ambition and he wantseverybody that isinterested in his re-electionto be focused and avoidany distraction. PresidentJonathan considers

Omisore’s petition as adistraction to his secondterm bid.

“The president hashowever directed all theparty leaders not to expendany resources on theOmisore’s matter at theOsun Election PetitionTribunal. It is perceived aserious distraction for theparty ahead of the 2015general elections.”

Osun Workers Welcome Aregbesola To Office•93, 000 Security Operatives Deployed For Civilian Coup In Osun - Aregbesola

By KEHINDE AYANTUNJI

THE governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni RaufAregbesola, on Wednesday attributed his victoryduring the August 9, 2014 governorship election to

the wish of God, saying the Peoples Democratic Party-led(PDP) Federal Government used every available force tounseat him through the backdoor

He disclosed that thegovernment at the federallevel deployed 93,000security agents to the state,not for protection of livesand property, but to cripplethe leaders and supportersof All ProgressivesCongress (APC) in the stateand rig the governorship

election.Governor Aregbesola

said this in Osogbo onWednesday whileaddressing state workers atthe Government Secretariat,Abere, who organised areception to welcome thegovernor back into officeafter the last governorship

election.He assured the civil

servants of morecommitment to their welfareand working environmentduring his second term inoffice and urged them toalways discharge theirduties with all sense ofresponsibility and shunpartisan politics.

Aregbesola said: “ByGod’s grace, no harm willcome to any civil servantthrough me for holdingopposing views. It is thebeauty of democracy, exceptthose who violated the civil

service rules and ethics thatwe need to talk to on thereason why they must notbe partisan, to protect thesanity of the civil service.”

“How do you explain asituation where a teacher inthe state civil serviceserved as the party agentof a political party? How doyou trust such person thathe or she will not divulgethe secret of thegovernment that he sworeto protect? We need to talkto them to have a change ofattitude for the civil serviceto progress.”

He said with theintervention of God and thedetermination of the peopleto protect the mandate ofAPC during the lastelection, there is no needfor revenge.

According to him: “Ourvictory is the wish of Godand not by our might. Theydeployed 93,000 securitypersonnel; not to protectthe people, but to crippleour party members and takeover Osun by all means itrequired, but the will of Godand the will of the peopleprevailed at the end. Thatis why we can be heretoday to celebrate thevictory.”

“If you add 93,000security personnel to thosewho were here before andwe have less than 4,000polling units, it means weare going to have more than25 security men at a pollingunit, which could make iteasy for them to rig theelection for the PDP.

“To understand thedegree of our predicament,an 80-year-old man, alawyer, Pa Fakayode in Oke-Ila, was arrested andtransferred to NYSC CampEde, the military base,during the election, beforehe was taken to DSS Office,Osogbo. He was notallowed to ease himselfwhen they were coming toOsogbo from Oke-Ila andthe old man was defecatingin his body. He was arrested

for no reason thansupporting the APC.

“Despite the immunityguaranteed by the 1999Constitution, which protectsme and my deputy fromarrest, the deputy governorwas arrested but notdetained. Around 1.00am onThursday, they attempted toattack the GovernmentHouse but our security menwere up to the task. MyAttorney-General andCommissioner for Justicewas arrested and manyothers. This was ourpredicament, but God in Hismercy protected us fromtheir evil,” Aregbesola said.

He urged the civilservants to resist desperatepoliticians, who may forcethem to have unholy alliancewith the opposition, sayingwith dedication andhardwork, every civilservant would reach hisdesired peak in the service.

Speaking earlier, StateChairman of the Trade UnionCongress (TUC), FrancisOlatunji, said theyorganised the reception toappreciate the commitmentof the governor to thewelfare of the civil servantsand pledged the support ofthe workers to the currentadministration.

The State Head ofService, Mr SundayOwoeye, said GovernorAregbesola hasdemonstrated unusualcommitment in making lifemore abundant for theworkers in the state andurged the civil servants todischarge their duties toensure the success of thesecond term of hisadministration.

Owoeye described theoccasion as unprecedented.“No governor has ever beenwelcomed to office byworkers. This shows that forevery action, there is areaction. This is a show ofworkers’ reaction to thenumerous good things thatOsun workers have enjoyedunder your administration.”

Osun Cautions NURTW, RTEAN Members Over EbolaBy FRANCIS EZEDIUNO

COMMITTED to checkmating any incidence of EbolaVirus Disease (EVD) in Osun, the state governmentcommittee on the monitoring and prevention of the

scourge recently organised a sensitisation workshop forleaders of transport unions in Osogbo, the state capital.

Addressing participantsat the workshop, theDirector of Primary HealthCare (PHC) and DiseaseControl in the State Ministryof Health, Dr. KayodeOgunniyi, chargedcommercial vehicle driversagainst movement ofcorpses from outside theState to Osun, stressing thatsuch practice is capable ofaiding the spread of EVD tothe state.

He advised members ofNational Union of Roadsand Transport Workers(NURTW) to request fordeath certificates of anycorpse, with a view to

ascertaining the cause ofdeath, as a precautionarymeasure to prevent Eboladisease.

Ogunniyi, whounderscored the need foreffective hygiene among allstakeholders in combatingthe Ebola disease,described the transportunions as key integral partsof the society, stressing thatit was imperative for them tocollaborate withgovernment and relevantagencies in the fight againstthe EVD.

According to him, thevirus is more contagiousamong dead bodies than the

living, adding that thepeople should desist frommoving close to corpses.

In her remark, the StateCommissioner for Health,Dr. (Mrs.) Temitope Ilori,said the essence of theworkshop was to teach theofficers of the union onmeasures to prevent thescourge from getting intothe state.

Participants at theworkshop included leadersof the NURTW, RTEAN, Co-operative Transportowners, ACOMORANamong others.

Responding, leaders ofthe unions described theworkshop as a timely oneand that the informationthey got from there wouldbe forwarded to othermembers across the state.

They assured that withthe information they

obtained from the workshop,their members would adherestrictly to therecommendations put up bythe state governmentthrough the Ministry ofHealth and Directorate ofPrimary Health Care andDisease Control.

Osun Vaccinates, DistributesKits To Pilgrims

AS part of preparations for successful and hitch-free Hajj this year, the Muslim Pilgrims WelfareBoard, State of Osun, has commenced vaccination

and distribution of free bags and clothes to intendingpilgrims to the holy land of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

The Secretary to theboard, Alhaji TajudeenAdelabu, said the governorof the state, Ogbeni RaufAregbesola, has madeadequate provision for

pilgrims to ensuresuccessful Hajj this year.

He therefore advised thepilgrims to display ethos ofOmoluabi, as it is thehallmark of the state in Saudi

Arabia.Also speaking, leader of

medical team, Dr OgundipeBusiroh, urged the intendingpilgrims to cultivate the habitof hand-washing and otherhygienic habits always.

He also advised them todesist from hand-shakingand hugging while in theholy land, as people fromother countries of worldwould be converging toperform the same rites at thesame time.

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 20144 News

By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

By ISMAEEL UTHMAN

Osun: PDP Lawyer, Minister’s Brother, Causes Stir At INEC Office•Roughhandles APC Counsel

THE inspection of election materials used for theAugust 9, 2014 governorship election in the Stateof Osun was temporarily put on hold on Wednesday,

as a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counsel, KehindeAdesiyan, forcefully prevented the recording of theinspection at the premises of Independent NationalElectoral Commission (INEC) office in Osogbo.

The inspection of theelection materials, whichentered its second day onWednesday, had started ona peaceful note, whenAdesiyan, who is a lawyerin the PDP team, according

to an eye witness, sighted amember of APC teamrecording the proceedingsand ordered him to stop.

Kehinde Adesiyan isyounger brother to Mr JeliliAdesiyan, the Minister of

State for Police Affairs.This caught the attention

of APC lawyers, whodisagreed and insisted thatthere was no law preventingthem from recording theproceedings.

The disagreementgenerated argumentsbetween the two parties, asituation that propelled oneof the APC lawyers, DaudAkinloye, to take over thevideo recording of the

inspection.Infuriated by the action of

the APC counsel, Adesiyan,according to an eyewitnessflared up, rushed to wherethe counsel was standingand grabbed him by theneck.

This caused commotion inthe INEC office, and it tookthe intervention of othermembers of the two teamsbefore normalcy could bereturned.

S u b s e q u e n t l y ,representatives of the two

teams were called into apeace meeting by an INECchief to resolve the matter.

After series of argumentsat the meeting, it wasunanimously agreed thatnothing stops any of theparties from recording theinspection, with a caveatthat it must be limited to theinspection proper and notindividuals.

One of the APC counsel,Mr Yomi Aliu, confirmedthat Akinloye was grabbedby the neck and rough-handled by Adesiyan.

He said the PDPinsistence not to record theinspection has raised

suspicion that they havesomething to hide on thematter.

He added that the PDPteam also has the right torecord the proceeding if theyso wished, saying: “If theyforgot their camera at home,it does not mean we shouldnot do our own job.”

Also, the PDP PublicitySecretary, Mr Bola Ajaoargued that the PDP teamdecided to stop therecording because it was notpart of the order of thetribunal.

He added that if therecording is allowed, it couldbe manipulated and used bythe APC.

Osun APC PetitionsINEC Over Ife Results

By FRANCIS EZEDIUNO

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has petitionedthe Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) over the results from eight local government

council areas in the recently-held governorship electionin the State of Osun.

Special Adviser to theGovernor on EnvironmentalMatters, Bola Ilori, broke thenews recently in Osogbo,the state capital.

According to him: “Wehave written to theIndependent NationalElectoral Commission(INEC) about themanipulation of votes by thePDP in the four wards of theIfe South Local GovernmentCouncil Area.

“In all, the APC iscontesting results of eightcouncil areas because ofwhat happened during theelection in these areas.

“So, people should not besurprised that votescounted for the PDP wouldbe deducted.”

Ilori said it was clear tothe voters that Omisorewanted power not in thepublic interest but to servehis selfish and inordinateambition.

“People of Osun are notfools. They know Omisorewas pretending to lovethem, while his heart was faraway from the state.

If Omisore is accusing theadministration of OgbeniRauf Aregbesola of capitalflight, the people know whotheir friend is and who isboosting the economy ofthe state and who is doingthe opposite.

All the policies andprogrammes of theAregbesola administrationhave brought about amultiplier effects thatsignificantly reflect on thequality of lives of theresidents.”

Ilori said the PDP wouldbe surprised that some ofthe votes counted forOmisore would be deductedat the conclusion of thetribunal sitting.

Man, 20, Bags 3 Months Jail Term For Stealing Ram

A 20-year-old Tunde Morufu was on Wednesdaysentenced to three months jailed term by anOsogbo Magistrates’ Court for stealing a ram.

Morufu bagged thesentence when he pleadedguilty to the one-countcharge of stealingproffered against him bythe police and he wassubsequently convictedby the court.

Following the guilty pleaof the accused, Policeprosecutor, InspectorIsiaka Ajadi, presented thefact of the case ascontained in the chargesheet before the court.

Ajadi told the court thatthe convict committed theoffence on Tuesday atabout 5p.m. at Ayekalearea of Osogbo.

According to Ajadi,Morufu stole a ram in thevicinity of where he wasapprehended, adding thathe could not give anycogent reason as to howhe came about the ram inhis possession.

The prosecutor statedthat Morufu was caughtby residents of the area,who questioned how hecame about of the ram inhis possession.

He stressed that theconvict had no evidence toshow that he was theowner of the ram.

Ajadi maintained thatMorufu has committed an

offence that contravenedsection 430 of the Criminal

Code, Cap 34, Vol.11 Lawsof Osun, 2003.

The convict had pleadedguilty when his plea wastaken.

Defence counsel, MrsNnena Ugwu, prayed the

court to temper justicewith mercy in sentencingthe convict.

The presidingmagistrate, Mr AdebayoLasisi, convicted Morufubased on his plea and the

fact presented to the courtby the prosecutor

Lasisi sentenced theconvict to three-monthimprisonment with anoption of N5,000 fine.

Girl Raped To Death At Adereti VillageA 17-year-old girl was raped to death at Adereti

Village near Garage Olode in Ife South LocalGovernment Council Area of the State of

Osun last Thursday.A source at the village,

who simply identified thedeceased as Rebecca, adaughter of a prophet at thevillage, was said to havebeen gang-raped by agroup of unsuspectedassailants, who arecurrently at-large.

OSUN DEFENDERinvestigation revealed thatRebecca, on the fatefulday, had just returned fromGarage Olode, where shehad gone to sell her wares,only to return to cooklunch for his octogenarianfather, before returning tothe market, when she metwith her untimely death inthe hands of her assailants.

Further investigationrevealed that Rebecca’slifeless body was foundlater in the day insidecocoa plantation, whichrevealed that she wasgang-raped, which mighthave resulted to her death.

Further investigationinto the incident alsorevealed that there had beenseries of rape cases in

recent times in the villagesaround Garage-Olode, inwhich some of the victimshave always kept mumsince the Police or thecommunity have notapprehended or unravel

the assailants.It was further revealed

that school girls have nowformed the habit of goingaround in groups withelderly people to avoidbeing assaulted.

The father of thedeceased is a widower andthe matter was said tohave been incidented at

Olode Police Station.OSUN DEFENDER

investigation at OlodePolice Station confirmedthe incident but refused tocomment further, as heclaimed that the matterhad been referred to thestate headquarters of thePolice for furtherinvestigation.

Man In Court Over Burglary

THE Nigeria Police Command in the State ofOsun has arraigned one Taye Razak beforean Osogbo Magistrate’s Court for allegedly

committing burglary.The charge sheet

disclosed that the accusedperson unlawfully enteredinto the house of oneRamat Kolade, which iscontrary to and punishableunder sec. 411 of thecriminal code cap34.Vol.11 laws of Osun stateNigeria 2003.

It also alleged that thesuspect, having enteredinto the house of thecomplainant, stole a leatherbox containing assorted

clothing materials,including 10 pieces ofnative dresses with totalvalue put at N45,000 andpieces of male nativedresses, 10 pieces of head-ties with seven caps worthN45,000 and one HTChandset value N25,000,properties of RamatKolade.

It further stated that theoffence is contrary andpunishable under Section412 of Criminal Code cap

3 of vol. 11 laws of OsunState Nigeria.

The charge sheetdisclosed that the accusedperson committed theoffence on August 25,2014 at Ofatedo Area ofthe state capital.

He (accused person)however, pleaded notguilty to the chargespreferred against him bythe police.

Defence counsel,Barrister Raji Abiodun,urged the court to grant theaccused person bail in themost liberal terms, sayingthe offence is bailable innature.

He said the accused

person was presumedinnocent before the law tillhe is proven otherwise,adding that he wouldprovide credible surety toguarantee his readiness toface trial.

Police Prosecutor,Inspector FagboyinboAbiodun, however did notoppose the bail application,saying the court had thediscretion to grant bail asit pleased.

Presiding magistrate,Mr M. A Lasisi, grantedhim bail in the sum ofN50,000 with one suretyand adjourned the case tillOctober 21,2014 forhearing.

By SHINA ABUBAKAR

•Coordinator, De Mobilizers Group, Honourable Wasiu Abiona (3rd left) and other members during their celebrationof the victory of Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, over the August 9, 2014 governorshipelection held at APC State Secretariat, Osogbo, recently.

5OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014 News

The War Called The Osun Elections; By Segun Tomori Continued frompg1I just couldn’t imagine my home State goback to the disastrous “years of the locust”.I had participated actively in thecampaigns, interacted with the people, felttheir pulse and the story was the same –Osun has never had it so good, the peoplevowed to defend their votes by all meanspossible! From that moment I had made upmy mind to give my all and put myself atharm’s way if need be to ensure we form abulwark of resistance against the machineryof State to be deployed to thwart thepeople’s wish.

When I was about to proceed on myjourney to Osogbo, the Osun State Capitalon Monday preceding the elections Iprepared for the worst. Few associatesprivy to my trip advised strongly that Iremoved any APC sourvenir from myluggage,any ID card that can associate mewith the party amongst other security tips.They were right to be apprehensive,soldiers, officials of the Department ofState Security(DSS) including the hoodedones,lorry loads of mobile policemen hadsince being deployed across the nook andcranny of Osun State. Bearing in mind thedesperation of their paymasters, we knewthey could stop and search vehicles andabduct anything synonymous with APC, soI took all the precautions. I took off on thejourney which in itself was dramatic.

As we got close to Oshogbo, a discussionensued in the bus and I found out I was notalone in the Save-Osun initiative. Most ofthe passengers shared the same sentimentswith me and were also natives of the State.They spoke emotionally and fiercely abouttheir determination to ensure Aregbesola’svictory. Speaker after speaker reeled outprogrammes and interventions of theGovernor that has brought smiles to thefaces of the people. They concluded he wasthe best thing to happen to the State sinceits creation. The menacing apparatus ofState then suffocating the enviroment willnot deter them, they thundered! “Ko siohun ti soja o se, a ma duro gboin gboin latidibo Aregbe” they said in yoruba dialectmeaning “there is nothing Soldiers can do,we will stand firmly to vote for Aregbe”. Ithought to myself, we are about to witnessmass resistance unequally in our nationalhistory if anything go against the people’swill. Hopefully, the soldiers we met on thevarious check-points didn’t stop andsearch, they just peeped through the buswindows and passed us on. I heaved a sighof relief when I arrived Osogbo safely latein the evening.

I have attended rallies, mega-rallies , nameit, but what I saw on Tuesday at the grand-finale of the campaign was frightening. A

stadium whose capacity can’t be more than60,000 almost caved in due to pressure froman unprecedented mammoth crowd. Everyspace on the covered stands were over-filled,the main bowl of the Stadium was virtuallyunpassable. My associates and I had to holdourselves to navigate our way through thecrowd, it took us about an hour from theentrance of the stadium to find somewhere toperch! Yet thousands more extend toadjoining roads outside the stadium. It was theAPC mega-rally and to say it was awesomelymega is an understatement! We even heardthat the Lord of Aso-rock caught an instantmigraine seeing the magnitude of the rally!The effect of that was seen in the sealing offof the freedom park that was supposed tohost workers rally the next day by “hoodedsoldiers” They got the now familiar, albeitemergency “orders from above” to forcefullyif need be halt the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) and its affiliates endorsement rally forthe Ogbeni.

Co-incidentally, Wednesday, 6th August wasmy birthday but I was in no mood forcelebrations of any kind. I told my well-wishers, family and friends that you don’tclink glasses in a battle-front! Interestingly,one of my compatriots who was also a major‘battle-axe” and good friend’s birthday was8th August so I told him we’ll do a birthdayplus victory party on the 10th, a day afterthe elections,when we triumph at the polls.We know we had the people behind us, wenever gave defeat a thought! By Thursday,preparations had reached feverish pitch, thetowns, hamlets and villages was nowmassively flowing with uniformed men of allhues and shades. Some DSS operatives cameto the restaurant we were having dinner,Thursday evening, apparently on surveillancemission. We got the message and we left in ajiffy! On our way to our location, we noticeda car trailing us, so we had to take a decoy toa bar. As we turned to the bar, the car alsoturned in another direction. Their missionstill remains a mystery. Thank God for littlemercies!

When we arrived our abode, we swung intoaction to put finishing touches to our master-plan which was to run a co-ordinated andeffective live broadcast of the elections onsocial and online media in collaboration withthe APC situation room which was to startfrom Friday evening till the announcement ofthe results on Sunday. This was necessarybecause leaking the plans of our deviousopponents was key to frustrate their riggingmachinery; announcing results online as weget it directly from our agents was also crucialto frustrate any manipulation at the collationlevel. By Friday afternoon, I had to tacticallyseparate from my friends who then proceededto a high security location. The curfew wasgoing to start around 5-6pm. By 4pm, Iarrived at my own secure location and quickly

moved to set up. I surveyed the enviroment toassess the possible threat level. I saw that it wasnegligible so I settled down for the task ahead.

By Friday evening we got intelligence reportthat notorius election rigger, Chris Uba was intown with a unit of 50 soldiers attached to him.We sent that out and made sure it went viral.Later that night, information about the arrestof our leaders ranging from APC PublicitySecretary, lai Mohammed, the Attorney-generalOf Osun State, barr. Wale Afolabi, Tinubu’sSpecial Adviser on media, Mr Sunday are,Commissioner for Agric among others wereswiftly publicised with dispatch. The far-reaching effect of the noise we madecontributed in no small measure to the releaseof most of those picked up by Saturdaymorning. We discovered by Saturday morningthat fake soldiers and policemen had surfaced inmany locations. Their logo was a red ankaratied to their left hand. Quickly we activated ourinstant alert to our people,through all meanspossible. That again thwarted efforts tomanipulate the elections from the beginning.

The elections started peacefully however inmost locations with accreditation going onsmoothly. The only snag was the continuedharassment of APC leaders across the State. Thecase of the 1st Civilian Governor of Osun State,Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke was quite instructive. Afterfailing to assasinate him over-night due toresistance by his security aides, he was trailedfrom the polling unit to his mother’s residencewhere he went after accreditation. He escapedthe siege by the whisker after he was discreetlynotified. He couldn’t come back to exercise hisfranchise. The results started trickling in byafternoon and the PDP demolition squadsensing their rejection quickly switched to aplan B to disrupt the collation process. Weinstantly alerted the public about their norturnalmeeting and evil plot. What really helped theAPC apart from the determination of thepeople was our access to classified information.We were always a step ahead of them and thatfrustrated the election riggers.

I got an anonymous call from a patroitic policeofficer around 8pm who claimed he was at alocation at modakeke and that results beingcollated was about to be altered. You coulddetect the fear in his voice as he asked me toensure his cover. He was an igbo officerdeployed from other states, he wasn’t familiarwith the terrain but what was gratifying thatthere could still be few men of integrity in thecorruption-ridden Nigeria Police Force. In orderto confirm the authenticity of his Statement, Iasked the Apapa Local Government Chairmanwho was with me to speak to him. He soundedcredible, he concluded. So I made some calls tothe authorities and sent text message to ourmen to act immediately.

Before 11pm, we already had all the results andwe had won, though unofficially. What sealed

the deal for us and put paid to anymanipulation the PDP had in stock was theunexpected congratulation of Aregbesola asthe winner of the election around 9.40pm bythe Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade.Omisore according to our sources had alreadyinformed Aso-rock that there was fighting inhis home-town of Ile-Ife because accordingto him, the results we were circulating werefake and he was actually leading in the“original” results. The Ooni swiftly debunkedthat, not only congratulated the Governor-elect, but also stated that nobody wasfighting in Ife! That took the sail out of thewind of Omisore and his treacherous gang.

If we thought the threats have been subdued,we were in for a shocker! The returningofficer whose task it is to announce the finalresult was under pressure to collect awhooping N1b and announce Omisorewinner! They were ready to damn theconsequences and ask us to go to court. Sowe had to practically go on our knees! Isalute the indefatigable people of Osun State,they were resolute, they stood like a rock,stayed on the streets all through and formeda human shield around the collation centre.Then the returning officer came in around1.35pm. The results of all the localgovernments were announced before 5am.Then we now witnessed dilly-dallying of thehighest order. It got to a point around 7am,anxious journalists and people started singingasking for the results. Lo and Behold, atabout 7.10am, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola wasfinally pronounced the winner!

There was instant jubilation across the nookand cranny of Oshogbo. Never in the historyof elections have I seen such spontaneousexcitement pervade the landscape because ofresults announcement. Within the twinkle ofan eye, the whole town went agog withpeople clutching their brooms- symbol ofthe Governor’s party, congratulatingthemselves, okada riders driving menacinglyin such euphoric ecstasy and finally we couldsay hurray! We won! We didn’t win anelection, we won a WAR with a stone likethe biblical david. Goliath came to battlewith the best arsenal at his disposal but wecame with the will of a determined peoplethat vowed that never again shall they gothe road of perdition they once trodded.Who says the voice of the people is not thevoice of God? Because ultimately the handof the Almighty saved the day and gave usvictory. Osun ti dara ooooooo.

Segun Tomori

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, September 13, 20146 INTERVIEW

How Not To Conduct Election - Osun Attorney-GeneralOsun State Attorney–General and Commissioner for Justice, Chief Wale Afolabi, was in Owerri, Imo

State for the 2014 Nigerian Bar Association Annual Conference. He shared his experience withjournalists, in the hands of security operatives, leading to his alleged disenfranchisement at the lastgovernorship poll in the state. The Guardian’s Charles Ogugbuaja, was at the briefing. Excerpts:MAY we share your experience in

the hands of security operativesduring the last governorship

elections in Osun State? Thank you very much. On the eve of

the election, that is the 8th day of August,2014, I went to my Local Government toprepare for the election. I am from ward 7of that Local Government. Around 8 p.m.,in the evening. The collation agents forthe ward, the chairman of the ward, theCouncil of the ward, they were at thecollation centre, expecting electoralmaterials to come from INEC. They toldme, because of what happened two orthree days previous to that day, in fact,they will prefer to keep night vigil andwatch when the materials will arrive. Thatthey wanted to stay there and make surenobody tampered with the materials. Asthey were there, somebody called me thatcombined team of soldiers, police, SSSand Civil Defence; that they came there;that they interrogated them; that theywere arresting them. I quickly called thechairman of the council who was with methat he should go there and intervene andexplain to the security operatives thatthose guys are not thugs. That they aremembers of our party; that the chairmanof the Party is here, the councillor of theward is here and the collation agents. Thechairman of the council, executivesecretary, immediately went there andinterface with the security officials. Theycame back to inform me that after talkingto them, they insisted to arrest thosepeople and that they may likely take themto Osogbo, but before taking them toOsogbo, the capital, they will find aconvenient place to camp, to interrogatethem. If they discover they are not thugs,that they will release them. If they arethugs, they will take them to Osogbo.

After about five minutes, those onescalled me, that from their countenance,they were taking them to Osogbo. That itwas better I come and intervene. I askedthe chairman of the council to join me inmy vehicle. I drove my car myself.

As I was going to town, I saw aconvoy of about four hilux vans. I wavedthem down, they stopped. I came out ofmy car. The chairman introduced himself.The chairman had earlier met them. Theynow asked me, are you the commissionerfor Justice, I said yes. They now told me,the head of the team had left for Osogbo,that I should follow them to Osogbo. Isaid please, I have job to do here. I cannotfollow them to Osogbo. They took my carkey from me. They pushed the chairmanof the council into one of the hilux vans.When they took my car from me, theypushed me inside the back seat. One ofthem by my right, one by my left, two infront. They drove us straight to Osogbo.

I now asked them, am I under arrest?They said not necessary, but I have to gowith them to Osogbo. I told them I am theCommissioner for Justice. I am a lawyer.They said no problem I should followthem to Osogbo.

When we got to Osogbo, some of themwere masked so that you cannot evenidentify them. Because I am a lawyer, Ihave been a lawyer for more than 30years. I was afraid. I thought they weregoing to kill me. But then, I had tocooperate. They asked me to go inside.When I got there, I met over 200 partymembers lying down in the floor outside,the grass, in the cold.

But may be because I am acommissioner, they kept me in the room.When I got into the room, I met theCommissioner for Agric, a colleague ofmine from Ilesa. He was arrested too andbrought there. Later the head of the teamasked me to put down something onpaper. He said I cannot go anywhere. ThatI have to stay there.

They put me inside a room with 10other people. As I was there, a man fromOgba Local Government was arrested andbrought to that place. Later on, there was

a High Chief from Igboko. The regent ofIgboko. The Oba of Igboko is dead. Wecall him High Chief Omokaya. He wasarrested and brought there. We wereinside the room through out the night.The second day, that was on the 9th theSSS person from Abuja said they told herthat the Commissioner for Justice is hereand that was why she was here to see me.She now called me outside.

She asked me why I was arrested. Inarrated the story that brought me there.After that she told me she did not mean toembarrass me. That she apologized to me.That I should leave, that I should noteven talk to the press. That I should justkeep it like that.

Before, I signed papers. She invited theother commissioner too. She said two ofus should go. I told her. I cannot leave.There are others in that room. They areleaders of our party. What will I say thathappened to them. She now said that shewas going to release them to me.Eventually, she released eight of them tome.

I now told her again that we have about200 people here. I don’t know if they wereinside cell. She said that she did not havethe power to release any person again.That her mission was to come and see meand interface and see the possibility ofreleasing me. That those ones she couldnot do anything about them.

Before I finish filing the papers and allthe other documentations, it was almost 1p.m. There was no way I could go back tomy local government. Even if I went back,they would have finished accreditation.That was why I was not able to vote thatday, for the first time. I had been votingfor a long time when I was a Councillor. Iwas a Local Government chairman,Speaker of the House of Assembly asHonourable member, before I became theAttorney- General. That was the first timein my life, I could not vote.

Did you have signs before then?About a week before the election, we

had information that some of us, leaders

of the party, would experience this. Whenwe heard that information, we went tocourt to get an injunction that theyshould not arrest anybody for anyfrivolous allegation. We did that. So afterthe arrest and detention, harassment, wedecided that the best thing for us to do isto go to court to challenge theinfringement of fundamental rights of ourpeople; to challenge the unlawful arrest ofour people. We had enlisted the servicesof Femi Falana (SAN) to go to court onour behalf, and as I speak with you now,we have about 700 people that could notvote, that were arrested, detained,humiliated, tortured. About 700 of themnow, we are filing cases for them.

Before I left Osogbo, we had filedabout 500 cases. I am sure by the time Iget back to Osogbo, they should havefiled about 200 more. So, about 700 of usare going to court to challenge thisinfringement. Even before this election,our party had gone to court to protestthat the President should not deployunnecessarily soldiers, SSS and Police todisturb the election.

How about a case of fake DSS officerreportedly arrested?

That is the point we are making. Thatduring that election, they brought in somany fake police, so many fake SSS mento Osun state to cover the election. Oneperson was arrested at Ile Ife. That is thetown of the candidate of the PDP, SenatorOmisore. I have requested my lawyer totake over the file from the Police. Theyhave taken over and I have gone throughthe file. The man said himself and fiveothers came all the way from Ekiti andthey were fake SSS men and police. Thatpolice were able to arrest only him. Othersescaped. They have charged him to court.He is on bail. He is on remand in prisoncustody in Ilesha. I cannot rememberwhen we fixed the hearing of the case.When we get back to Osogbo, we aregoing to commence hearing.

I have decided as a government and asparty we will go to court. That is why we

are now in court. Like I said, our fight isfor 15 Local Government Areas.

We are not saying the securityoperatives should not come to Osun, butthe point we are making is that they don’thave right to arrest people unnecessarily.Their duty is to maintain law and order.Why should they arrest somebody likeme? Why should they arrest somebodylike the Commissioner for Agric and manyof our leaders? Since that time they havenot charged anyone to court. You arrestedabout 700 people and you have notcharged them to court, because you knowyou don’t have any case against them.

Since your party won the election,Why are you still taking the FederalGovernment to Court?

We want to make a statement to themthat you cannot trample upon the rightsof the people unnecessarily without anyjust cause. We want to correct that. Two,you don’t have to arrest peopleunnecessarily. They arrested me in myLocal Government. I could not vote, evenour leaders did not also.

What do you think warranted theheavy deployment of security officials?

That is the point we are making. And ifyou don’t challenge and correct it now, itis going to be very dangerous. What weare saying is except there is a commissionof serious crime, you cannot just go andarrest people. Some people were arrestedin their homes. If we don’t correct it now,it may be dangerous in the next election.

Before the election, we had gone tocourt to challenge the power of thePresident to deploy people anyhow. Weare not saying he does not have power todeploy, but not anyhow to go and arrestpeople and intimidate and harass them.

The first four years, the governmenttouched so many lives. The governor hasdone so many people-orientedprogrammes. In education, he is doinggood. Some of the students, he feedsthem on daily basis, with good food ingood locations. In Agric, he has donemany things. In employment, he employed40,000 youths. In our OYES scheme, 3,000.He has decided to employ another 20,000.So we have intervened like no othergovernment in so many areas. Also, wepay elderly people in our state, the highlyvulnerable, we pay them N10,000 perhead. Construction of roads. He hasconstructed roads in all the LocalGovernment Areas, in all the nooks andcrannies of our state. All these have madepeople to love our governor very well.

We are saying that they brought over20,000 police men to Osun state. Over6,000 Civil Defence. It was too much.Before the election, when they came, theywere shooting in the air, sporadically. Thejob of these people is to prevent crimeand not to go to polling units, they werenot supposed to arrest peopleunnecessarily. Just to come and maintainpeace. Osun is about three million.

What about the issue of rule of law?For me as a person, I believe the rule of

law should be fully entrenched. My statein Osun, there is no court judgment we donot respect. All court rulings, all courtjudgments, we abide strictly by them.

How do you pay the number of youthsyou have engaged and still do somecapital projects?

In Osun any money we have,allocation, IGR, we spend them on people.Even if we have very lean resources, westill have many programmes, lots ofprojects. If we give you a job of N1 billion,we give you about N10 million, when youfinish the job, we pay you the balance.That is how we have been able to do ourprojects.

Culled from GUARDIAN Newspaper

•AFOLABI

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014 7

Special Prayer For The Late Chief Imam Of Osogboland And President-General,League Of Imams And Alfas, South-West, Edo And Delta, Sheikh MustaphaAjisafe, At Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, State Of Osun, Last Wednesday. Photo:

GBENGA ADENIYI.

•

•World Preacher, Alhaji Muideen Bello (left) and other Islamic clerics at the event.

PHOTOTALK

•(L-R) The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; representative of the Sultan of Sokoto, Professor Daud Naibi and Head of Department, Islamic and ArabicStudies, University of Ibadan, Dr. Kamil Olosho, during the prayer rites for late Chief Imam of Osogboland and President, League of Imams and Alfas, Southwest, Edo andDelta States, the late Sheikh Mustapha Ajisafe, at Osogbo City Stadium, State of Osun, on Wednesday.

•(R-L) Governor Aregbesola; Speaker, State of Osun House of Assembly, Honourable Najeem Salaam; Chief of Staff to State of Osun Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola;National Missioner, Anzar-U-Deen, Sheik Raman Hammed; Dr Olosho and Professor Naibi.

8 OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014PHOTOTALK

Special Prayer For The Late Chief Imam Of Osogboland And President-General,League Of Imams And Alfas, South-West, Edo And Delta, Sheikh Mustapha Ajisafe,At Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, State Of Osun, Last Wednesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

•(L-R) Deputy Governor,, State of Osun, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori; wife of the State of Osun Governor, Mrs Sherifat Aregbesola and Chief Judge of the State of Osun,Justice Adepele Ojo.

•(L-R) State of Osun Head of Service, Mr Sunday Owoeye; Acting State Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Elder Lowo Adebiyi and Assistant Inspector-General ofPolice ZONE 11, Mr Ibraheem Maishanu at the programme.

•(L-R) Chief Imam of Offa, Kwara State, Alhaji Muideen Hussain and Mallam LereYusufduring the programme.

,

•Some of the family members of the Late Chief Imam of Osogboland, Sheik MustaphaAjisafe, being consoled by their friends during a special prayer for the late Ajisafe atOsogbo City Stadium.

9 OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014PHOTOTALK

Special Prayer For The Late Chief Imam Of Osogboland And President-General,League Of Imams And Alfas, South-West, Edo And Delta, Sheikh Mustapha Ajisafe,At Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, State Of Osun, Last Wednesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

•A cross section of Muslim faithful at the programme.

•A cross section of Women Muslim faithful during the special prayer.

•A cross section of Muslim clerics at the event.

10 OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014

Osun Workers Rejoiced With The State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, In HisOffice On Monday After His Victory In The August 9, 2014 Governorship Election.

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, addressing workers, who trouped out en-masse to rejoice with him after his victory for his second term in office. Withhim are, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salam (2nd left); Head of Service, Mr Sunday Owoeye (left); Deputy Governor, Otunba (Mrs) Titi Laoye-Tomori and other dignitaries, at Governor’s Office, Abere, State of Osun, on Wednesday.

•Governor Aregbesola (right), acknowledging cheers from workers that trouped out en-masse to rejoice with him after his victory for a second term in office, at Governor’sOffice, Abere, State of Osun last Wednesday.

•

11 OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014FEATURE

A Compromised Security Outfit:Marilyn Ogar At It Again

By MIKE OGUNDELE

THE constant disappointingstatement being issued by theDepartment of Security Service

through their flamboyantspokesperson, Marilyn Ogar, isworrisome. The image maker of thesecurity outfit is at it again when shecalled a press conference concerningSteve Davis revelation; it is notdifferent from that of the position ofthe spoke man of PDP Olisa Metuh.

The DSS spokesperson has alreadymade up her mind that the oppositionis responsible for the numerousbombings going on around the countryby her statement on national television,when she dismissed Mr Davies theory.Even if Boko Haram comes today toname their sponsors, Marilyn Ogarwould still not believe that theory.

The Australian hostage negotiator,Dr Steve Davies, was appointed bythe Federal Government under theleadership of Dr Goodluck EbereAzikwe Jonathan, who Femi Fani-Kayode once described as “a lambpresident without balls”. Thisgovernment has not demonstratedenough courage to see to the end ofthis insurgency. Considering theamount of damages done with thekilling of children by Boko Haram inDamaturu, the slaughter of manyNigerian troops by Boko Haram inBorno State recently, that led to theretreat of our military men toCameroon, or have we forgotten themassacre of school children in BornoState by this same Boko Haram twoyears ago; the mass murder of no lessthan 10,000 Nigerians by Boko Haramin the last three years, the 219kidnapped Chibok girls and the ragingwar that is going on in the NorthEastern part of our country betweenBoko Haram and our military today,the series of bombing and killing ofinnocent in Abuja by this evil group.

There are many who will certainlyagree that in a matter of urgentnational concern, our security outfithas been compromised and ourpresident is not helping matter becauseof his concentration on his secondterm agenda. Many will also agreethat the Jonathan administration seemshard of hearing on this insurgentmatter because it keeps on using thesame failed tactics over and over withlack of results. Those who keep tryingsame things and have the same resultsand yet continue to do the same thingsto invariant results are either too dumbfor words or are completely confused.

The Chibok girls’ parents have beenwaiting patiently for the safe return oftheir wards for months now with nohope coming. This has led the parentsto demand the return of their missinggirls dead or alive, but rather thanheeding to a wise counsel, thepresidency is busy bankrolling the re-election campaign through the socalled TAN.

Let me borrow from the statementof Femi Fani-Kayode, a PDP chieftainhe said “....It appears that simplybecause those kids were northerners,this President just”doesn’t give adamn”. What a tragedy! WhetherChristian or Muslim, Northern orSouthern, these are only children and

they are NIGERIAN children, each ofwhom is entitled to the full protectionof the Nigerian state. I have said itbefore and I shall say it again, Nigeriahas become an abattoir of human fleshand blood under the tenure ofPresident Goodluck Ebele Jonathanand all those who support him shouldbury their heads in shame. The bloodof all those innocent people is on hishands because he swore to an oathbefore God and the Nigerian people toprotect them from such evil”.

Nigerians are tired of accusationsand counter accusations. The rulingparty is quick to accuse the oppositionof being responsible or sponsoring theinsurgents without any evidence andthis is the only direction the DSS islooking at without no iota of evidenceto back it up but quick to re-echo thebaseless accusation been made byOlisa Metuh. Matter of nationalsecurity should be handled moreseriously and not the way MarilynOgar is reading from a script preparedby PDP.

One would had expected the DSSto swing into action immediately SteveDavies gave some useful informationabout those behind Boko Haram butI’m sure many concerned Nigerianswould be amazed and dumb-foundedlistening to the DSS spokeswoman,Marilyn Ogar on national televisionexonerating Rtd Gen Ihejirika withoutacting on that security information.

What is information? Information isknowledge communicated or receivedconcerning a particular fact or

circumstance. Another definition saysthat information is knowledge gainedthrough study, communication,research, instruction etc. It seems theDSS does not know how powerfulinformation is to a successfulinvestigation.

In any crime investigation, it is thehandling and collating of informationthat usually give the breakthrough. Butin this case, no investigation, no arrestwas made but it was quick of her todismiss the information as rubbish andreferred to Steve Davies as self-appointed. What baffles me again waswhen she said “it is absurd to link RtdGen Ihejirika with the scourge of BokoHaram, just because in her words, hewas a former Army chief that foughtto combat the terrorists”. What cameto my mind straight away was that thiscountry is finished with the type ofcompromised security outfit we haveand with the like of Marilyn Ogarready to take instructions from PDPand reading a well-concocted speechprepared by Olisa Metuh. I said tomyself this woman again! After hershow of shame with regards theunconstitutional and partisan role theDSS played in Osun election but failedto achieve.

Marilyn Ogar claimed Ali ModuSheriff had already been invited twicein the past. Can this woman pleaseexplain to Nigerians what happened tothe investigation carried out then? Washe cleared then? She also said theformer governor would be invited forquestioning again based on the newinformation. Can someone ask Marilyn

Ogar why the double standard? Theduo of the ex-governor and the exArmy General were accused together,while the DSS spokeswoman isexonerating the ex-Army chief butwants to question the ex-governor.After all, what is good for the goose isalso good for the gander.

Where is the intelligence sense ofthe DSS? How can alleged suspectbased on the position he held in thepast be exonerated and not based oninvestigation? Whose script is thesecurity outfit playing with regards tofighting terrorism? How can youquestion one person and leave out theother, based on the same premise? Ifthis is how the DSS, as represented byMs Ogar, conducts its operations, thenthe war against insurgency cannot bewon.

With this latest show of shame byMs Ogar exonerating Ex-chief ofArmy Staff without carrying out thestatutory investigation as required, ithas become evident that the waragainst insurgency has been givenethnic colouration by the authorities.This is cruel, wicked, uncivilised,criminal and unprofessional and it mustbe condemned by every right-thinkingNigerian.

What it required is for all securityagencies to swing into action andmake use of this information fromSteve Davies, because every leadmust be thoroughly investigated, iftruly we are serious in winning thewar against terror. Lest we forget, thelate National Security Adviser (PatrickAziza) confirmed that there are BokoHaram members amongst the PDPcabinet, who are providing some kindof support for the insurgents.President Jonathan also confirmed itthat there are moles in his government,who are supporting the insurgents.Has Marilyn Ogar forgotten so soonhow the foreign troops that came tohelp rescue the missing school girlsrefused to share information with theNigerian authorities for lack of trust?Or has she forgotten about thedisaffection within the military circles?

In all of these, one will wonder,what is our Commander-in-Chiefdoing to correct this grave nationalsecurity embarrassment. Let me endwith a statement by Femi Fani-Kayode about our president “Permitme to end this contribution with thefollowing observations. As crude andunpleasant as it may sound, thequestion must be asked – does ourPresident have any balls? Is he reallya man? Does he have what it takes tofight a war against terror or is it thatthere is more to this than meets theeye? Is there a sinister and diabolicalconspiracy and plan to ensure thatelections do not hold in the northeastand the northwest in 2015 given thefact that those areas are very hostileto the suggestion that Jonathan shouldreturn to power that year? Is thiswhole thing planned and contrived oris it a case of chronic incompetence,ineptitude and weakness”?

May the almighty God come to ouraid in this country.

•OGAR

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 201412 INTERVIEW

Working With Aregbesola Is My Pleasure – Princess ShadiatPrincess Shadiat Afolashade Aremu is a woman of many sterling qualities. Born and bred in far-away Abidjan, capital of Cote

D’Ivoire, her long sojourn in the far-away French territory has not robbed her of her joy, pride and glory of belonging to a home rich inculture, traditions and dignity; as well as the legacies of development and progress with which her home state is renowned. Beautiful inand out, Princess Shadiat exudes the ambience and charm of someone with positive dreams which are in tandem with those borne byOgbeni Aregbesola, the incumbent governor of the State of Osun. As founder and National President of the Cote D’Ivoire Chapter ofOranmiyan Worldwide, the campaign outfit of the Symbol, Shadiat demonstrates her blue-bloodedness and nobility in perfect blend withmodern democratic ideals. Her strides and achievements so far are just a tip of the iceberg, as she has an unhidden predisposition forhigher grounds. Her recent chat with NIYI OLASINDE speaks volumes of her dreams and political package; as well as her strongresolve to remain an undeterred partaker with the Governor Aregbesola, the wonderful undertaker.OSDF: Kindly get yourself properlyintroduced.

PRINCESS AREMU: Thank you. I amPrincess Shadiat Afolashade Aremu. I am anindigene of Ejigbo in Ejigbo Local GovernmentCouncil Area of the State of Osun; though Iwas born and bred in Abidjan in CoteD’Ivoire. I lived all my early life in the cocoa-rich country, as you know that Cote D’Ivoireis home away from home to most Ejigboindigenes. Well, the fact is that we live ournormal lives as Nigerians and Yorubas inparticular in that country. So, we are deeplyinterested in life at home, including politics,economy and development. In the light of this,I feel honoured to be the President of the CoteD’Ivoire Chapter of the OranmiyanWorldwide, the campaign organization ofOgbeni Rauf Aregbesola. To cut the storyshort, I am an indigene of Ejigbo, having hailedfrom Ile Oloro from Ayegbogbo Quarters.

OSDF: What motivated you into pitchingtents with Oranmiyan Worldwide?

PRINCESS AREMU:In true Yoruba spirit,we at Cote D’Ivoire admire anythingprogressive; anything development-driven. Sowhen Ogbeni came on board, we like manyother indigenes were expectant of what wouldhappen to our state and her people. We werethrilled by his very first steps. He startedwith OYES. Then other programmesfollowed! And he never relented till now! Weare amazed. There are certain qualities thatyou cannot take away from our people back inCote D’Ivoire. One is awareness. Even thoughwe are hundreds of kilometres away, we arecurrent with happenings and development athome. Secondly, we love impressiveperformance, especially by government. Whenyou sojourn in a foreign land, you are deeplyengrossed in your business because you wantto justify why you crossed many rivers to bethere. Equally, you are interested in yourhome, your final resting place, so you wishand work out the best for your home country.That’s the attitude of we Osun indigenes whoare Cote D’Ivoirians. Lastly, we have builtconfidence in Ogbeni Aregbesola through hisnoble performances in office. Look, we knewwell what governance used to be before hisfinal emergence in 2010. Till date, we knowtoo well what the experience is in other statesof Nigeria and at the federal level. Boldly, Iassert that none of our rulers at differentlevels has made such meaningful impact asAregbesola has made. That is what has spokenfor him in the last Governorship Elections.That shall continue to speak for him in thefuture. On behalf of myself, family and ourentire people at home and in Cote D’Ivoire, Icongratulate Ogbeni and his wonderful team,as well as the entire people and residents ofthe State of Osun on the victory we wonduring the last election. I wish the state greaterprogress.

OSDF: You mentioned it that you are thePresident of the Cote D’Ivoire Chapter ofOranmiyan Worldwide. Our readers wouldwonder how this came into being.

PRINCESS AREMU: Yes. Let me start bysaying that Aregbesola warmed his love intomy heart; likewise into the hearts of theteeming others back there in 2011, during theheat created by the civil war created byLaurete Gbagbo. If there was any other, it wasAregbesola that first provided rescue missionfor citizens of his state in that war-torncountry. We were amazed. We wereexceptionally glad; and we thought it out thatwe owe him more than mere gratitude. That iswhy you could notice that many of us therecame home during the last voters’ registration /verification to ensure we were eligible to vote.The man has lots of noble ideas which mustnot be allowed to die. Back to the issue onhand, when I got back to Cote D’Ivoire afterpeace had been restored, I instantly formed agroup which I named Aregbesola SupportersFans Club. It was a solidarity group whichwas intended to create and deepen awarenessabout the trend of progress currently beingwitnessed at home. It was intended toshowcase the impressive performance ofOgbeni and his team. It was also a confidence-building group. We did this awfully well thereand we mobilized massive support for thegovernment and aspiration of Aregbesola. This

is to the extent that Aregbesola has become ahousehold name in Abidjan and the entirecountry.

OSDF: So how has that translated toOranmiyan Worldwide?

PRINCESS AREMU: Thank you. InDecember 2013, my group and I decided tobring our activities to the man at the centrehimself, that is, Ogbeni Aregbesola. Luckily,the effort paid off well. I met him onDecember 31, 2013, prior to the New YearEve event held at the Nelson MandelaFreedom Park. I presented my cause to him. Ishowed him pictures of our gatherings at CoteD’Ivoire. Instantly, he became favourablydisposed to it and he changed the name toOranmiyan Group. So, he ordered that thegroup should become the Cote D’IvoireChapter of his campaign organization.

OSDF: What have been your activitiessince then?

PRINCESS AREMU: It has been a non-stop chain of events. The official launch of theOranmiyan Group took place at Abidjan onJune 3 this year. It drew to itself movers andshakers in the Aregbesola administration andin the rank and file of the All ProgressivesCongress (APC) in the State of Osun. I havementioned earlier that lots of our people gotinvolved in voters’ registration at home. Thatinvolved our mobilization efforts. That wouldbe meaningless if they were not here for actualvoting. Believe me that they still crossed themany borders to vote on August 9. That wasthe doing of God through our efforts. Now aswe prepare for the re-inauguration of Ogbenifor the second term on November 27, we arebuckling up to move in en masse to grace theoccasion. We also propose to celebrate thevictory in Cote D’Ivoire any moment fromnow. We shall need to exchange diaries withthe Governor and know when he shall be freeto attend personally, as many people lookforward to seeing him in that country.

OSDF: You mean our governor is beingvery much sought after in Cote D’Ivoire?

Princess Aremu: Let me tell you, the FirstLady of Cote D’Ivoire, Lady Dominic Quataralooks forward to host a reception in honour ofAregbesola. I also wish to inform our readersthat out of the Nigerians residing in CoteD’Ivoire, statistics show that Yorubas fromthe State of Osun dominate with about 70 percent. The figure is about 2 millions and it isstill increasing! Though there are deaths on

daily basis, there are also births and there iscontinuous influx of new immigrants into thatcountry. The birth rate and rate of inflow ofimmigrants outstrip the death rate. So we aremany there an all are admirers of Ogbeni andhis good works.

OSDF: You mentioned the launch of yourchapter last June. What was the thrust of theprogramme?

PRINCESS AREMU: I wish to appreciatethe magnanimity of our governor, Ogbeni RaufAregbesola, who filled the programme withstrong representation and who made it a hugesuccess. The line-up of attendees, whocontributed in no small measure to the successof the events is too numerous. I shall here, onbehalf of members of my chapter, endeavourto mention them. I appreciate the First Lady,Alhaja Sherifat Abidemi Aregbesola, theDeputy Governor, Otunba (Mrs.) TitilayoLaoye-Tomori, the Secretary to the StateGovernment, Alhaji Moshood Olalekan Adeotiand the Chief of Staff to the Governor, AlhajiGboyega Oyetola. I appreciate the Chairman,Oranmiyan Worldwide, Prince FelixAwofisayo, the Speaker, State of Osun Houseof Assembly, Right Honourable NajeemMofolasayo Salaam and the senatorrepresenting the Osun West Senatorial Districtin the Senate of the Federal Republic, SenatorMudasiru Hussein (both Salaam and Husseinare our kith and kin in Ejigbo).

OSDF: Are there others you would want toacknowledge?

PRINCESS AREMU: Yes. I wish toappreciate the former Speaker of the State ofOsun House of Assembly, Right Honourable(Professor) Mojeed Alabi; my leaders whostood firmly by me in Alimoso LocalGovernment Council Area of Lagos State, theChairman of my Ward at Egbeda in Alimoso,Mrs. Akhigbe, Alhaji Y.Y. Keye from Alimoso,Alhaji Abdullahi Enilolobo, Chief EdwardObisesan, Party Chairman, Gani Quadri aliasObama, Fatima Ibrahim (Iya Abati),Honourable Bisi Yusuf and others toonumerous to mention. Going back to Abidjan,there is the Oba of Abidjan, Kabiyesi ofAbobo in Abidjan who is the one who tookdelivery of Oranmiyan at its inception, AlhajiRasaki Babalola. He is from AberinjoCompound in Ejigbo. I need to mention andsincerely appreciate him for his fatherly role,his love and warmth. Another in the list, theone who is our Patron, Alhaji Alli Ayanniran

and Party Chairman for All ProgressivesCongress (APC) in Cote D’Ivoire, Mr. RafiuAjao. He solidly stood by me, to the extentthat we carry out the entire task together.

OSDF: You bear the title of a princess. Areyou a princess in the lineage of Ogiyan orthrough marriage or how?

PRINCESS AREMU: Thank you. There isa sectional kingship stool that we are entitledto at my place of birth in Ejigbo. That is calledthe Oba Olowu of Ayegbogbo. The title isrotationally taken among the communities ofOlowu, Oyo, Ajaawa and Ayegbogbo. Thestool is currently vacant. The deceased Obawas from my ruling house while the nextwould be from Oyo. The deceased monarch isObe Adekeke.

OSDF: Your sudden mention of Lagoscompels me to ask if you’ve ever lived inLagos…

PRINCESS AREMU: Yes. My family isin Lagos, so I usually have a stint in Lagos.But I am actively here at home in Osun inorder to contribute my quota to thegovernment, politics and development of mystate.

OSDF: So in what capacities have youbeen functioning in the government of theState of Osun?

PRINCESS AREMU: For now, I amdeeply engrossed in politics. But I will takedelight to serve the government and people ofthe state in whatever capacity that thegovernor deem fit for me. I swear, Aregbesolais pleasant to work with. He is a greatachiever. He is the only clear achiever of ourtime. Mouth cannot describe how we hold himin high esteem back in Cote D’Ivoire. I oncementioned his rescue mission of 2011. Sincethen, he has taken time out to visit us thereand we received him warmly. Back home, thebeautiful works he is doing in all sectors fillsthe heart with pride and admiration. Sincerely,I won’t mind working with him to make ourstate a greater place.

OSDF: We like to take your comments onOranmiyan Worldwide.

PRINCESS AREMU:Oranmiyan is agood, great and veritable organization. It isprolific and positive. It is realistic and trulyprogressive. I have no regrets pitching tentswith the group. Thanks for the astuteness ofBaba Awofisayo and his team – Mr. DeleOgunsakin, the one I was initially handed overto, Mr. Niyi Aluko, the Director ofAdministration, Mr. Lanre Opadeyin, Directorof Mobilization, Mr. Toyin Orungbe, Directorof Finance and others.

OSDF: Politics is a terrain considered bymany as a no-go area for women. How doyou cope and survive; given the fact that youoperate purely amidst men?

PRINCESS AREMU: A woman who canhold her own would have no problems inpolitics. All that one requires is discipline.Your reputation must not be dragged in themud for whatever reasons. One needs toensure that she is without blemishes. There isno human venture that a woman cannotendeavour with success. Hard work andresourcefulness are chief agents ofempowerment. Like I said earlier, I am readyand willing to work assiduously I anycapacity deemed fit for me. In this area –politics or government, my family fully trustsand understands me. I enjoy their maximumcooperation.

OSDF: Your pieces of advice for thewomen folk?

PRINCESS AREMU: Discipline, hardwork, integrity and virtue should be their corevalues.

OSDF: What are the dreams of yourchapter in Abidjan for the State of Osun?

PRINCESS AREMU: Our dreams andaspiration are that Osun should be moved tothe top among other states. I hereby call forcollaborative efforts to rally round and makeour state great. Government on its part shouldcreate enabling environment for all to expresstheir God-given talents. We are grateful toOgbeni for all that God is using him to do. Wehowever expect to have him in our midst backthere very soon, preferably, before his re-inauguration date in November.

•Princess AREMU

13 OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014

Blow By Blow Account OfThe Proceedings At The

Tribunal On Thursday

1. The PDP’s application toserve the Governor of Osun bysubstituted means was heard bythe Tribunal and it was orderedto be pasted on the walls of thegovernment House. How theyare going to paste a petition andwitness’s statement of 800pages baffles the imagination.This was due to the defect intheir application as that was theprayer they made to theTribunal. The application alsocontained lots of falsehood asthey claimed to have attemptedservice on the Governor in thepast.

2. Our application for theChairman of the Tribunal torecuse himself from the Petitionwas heard later. Counsel toAPC, Mr. Adegoke, insisted thatthe Chairman should recusehimself and was armed withlegal authorities showing thatonce a litigant made clear andunambiguous statementshowing that he has noconfidence in a judge, it is thebest for the judge to recusehimself from the case.

3. Not wanting Adegoke topress home his case, theChairman of the Tribunalinsisted that he had always beenfair and could not be bought byanybody. He maintained he wasin Osun to do justice andAdegoke insisted that based onthe experience of APC in thehands of the same Judge in thecase of Audu v. Wada in 2012,his client had no confidence inthe judge’s ability to do justicein the case.

4. The application of Mr.Adegoke generated a lot offurore as the Chairman had tojustify his integrity and wasassisted by other members ofthe Tribunal who tried topersuade Adegoke to drop hisapplication. Adegoke ratherreplied that the petition of PDPbased on which the formerChairman of the Tribunal,Justice, Bako was removed wastreated with dispatch by the

President of the Court ofAppeal which called forquestioning of the interventionby the President of the Courtof Appeal.

5. Based on clear assuranceby the Chairman and the panelmembers, Adegoke withdrewthe issue in the interim andmoved his pending applicationwhereof he asked that theTribunal should set aside itsearlier order by which PDP wasallowed to conduct inspection.According to him, the order ofthe Tribunal was premised ona defective application whichdid not seek necessary leaveto move the application outsidethe pre-hearing session.Counsel to the PDP and itscandidate, Mr. Fashanu, arguedtheir counter-affidavit andurged the Tribunal to strike outAPC’s application in thisregard. The Court adjournedthe matter till August 12, 2014to rule on the application.

6. The Tribunal then calledon Mr. Adegoke to move hisother motion seeking to setaside the service of the Petitionof the PDP on the APC.Adegoke complained that thePDP served APC its petitionin Osogbo rather than theparty’s headquarters in Abujasome few days before. Hesaid, however, that the PDPhad taken to correction whenit saw APC’s motion seekingto set aside the service and hasnow served APC in its Abujaoffice yesterday, the 10August, 2014. He, therefore,insisted that where MrFashanu, SAN, could admitthat APC had just been servedon 10 August, he, Adegoke,would be withdrawing hismotion to set aside the service.

Mr. Fashanu did not objectto Adegoke’s application andsame was withdrawn and wasstruck out by the Tribunalaccordingly.

The Tribunal shall be sittingon Friday, September 12 todeliver its ruling on the otherapplication.

By IBRAHIM LAWAL

FOR THE RECORDS

14 OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014

The People’s Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni RaufAregbesola, has been re-elected to carry on for another term of fouryears.

Ogbeni Aregbesola recorded a resounding success in the just-concluded election.

The election shows that the Governor is well embraced by all thepeople of the State of the Virtuous.

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OPINION

The Media Should Be Wary Of OmisoreWHILE it is generally agreed that

no medium exists without itsown bias, the greater truth is that

the media is a public trust and its hallmarkis integrity established by truth. When amedium publishes falsehood, eitherdeliberately or inadvertently, itundermines the basis of its credibility.

This is the trap that the defeatedcandidate of the Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP), Senator Iyiola Omisore, setfor the Nigerian media before, during andafter the August 9, 2014 governorshipelection in the State of Osun.

Senator Omisore asked for the removalof the State Resident ElectoralCommission, Ambassador Rufus Akeju,alleging that Akeju is a card-carryingmember of the then Action Congress ofNigeria (ACN), which latermetamorphosed into the All ProgressivesCongress (APC). He did not offer anyevidence. The Independent NationalElectoral Commission (INEC), Akeju’semployer, asked him to substantiate hisclaim, since he who asserts must prove.Almost four years down the line, he isyet to come up with anything. But themedia, regrettably, has been amplifyingthis false allegation for him.

Again, he has been fulminating thatINEC conducted the 2011 generalelections against a subsisting court order.He trumpeted this lie with a demonicfrenzy, regrettably with the help of themedia.

The truth however is that the PDP wentto court asking for an interlocutoryinjunction preventing Akeju fromconducting the 2011 elections. INECagreed and was preparing to replaceAkeju when PDP went back to the same

court and asked for a ‘stay of execution’.The judge, Babs Kuewumi, was

scandalised. He told them that theirdemand defied logic since it’s the loserthat asks for an injunction against aninjunction, not the winner, who shouldbe savouring the fruits of his victory. Hethen granted the stay of execution of theinjunction he had earlier granted.

It is inconceivable that Omisore willnow turn round to accuse INEC offlouting court order. The media reportedthis falsehood with reckless abandon,

without cross-checking the facts.Then again, the media on September

2 were awash with an interestingnews item – a report that INEC hadsuspended two Electoral Officers(EO) for Obokun and Osogbo LocalGovernment Council Areas. The reportgleefully and recklessly claimed theywere suspended for helping APC torig the August 9, 2014 governorshipelection in the state.

The next day, INEC came out torebut the story. INEC was categoricalin denying that the two EOs weresuspended for helping APC rig the

election. Indeed, the EO for Obokun wassuspended for diverting election materials andarrested by the police while doing so. WhatINEC did not mention was that the newsactually broke on the eve of the election, howvigilant youths in Otan-Ile had apprehendedthe EO while taking the materials to theresidence of a PDP chief in Ilase and howhe was released by police to a PDP nationalofficer from the state.

The second EO for Osogbo was actuallysuspended following the petition writtenagainst him for attempting to manipulate theelection against APC. He hid the accreditationtags of APC party agents and did not releasethem until after accreditation had taken place.He also hid form EC8C in a waste bin andcaused the delay in compiling the result forOsogbo until about 2.00 am the next day.

How then could the two EOs have riggedfor APC? Interestingly, the same media hadreported these events when they occurred.All they needed to do was cros-check withtheir own record. However, the report waswritten by the media handlers of Omisoreand handed to the media with a littleinducement. The public had been badlyserved.

The irony is that each time the public reada report in the media that is patently false,instead of Omisore, it is the media that getsdiscredited. There is no amount of moneythat can compensate for the loss of credibilityfor the media. Believability is the media’s dailybread and once it is lost, nothing is left.

Omisore is a mere bird of passage, whoshould not be allowed to destroy the mediathat have been built over time with the sweatand blood of our patriots and heroes of theprofession.

•Ayandele writes from Osogbo, State ofOsun.

•OMISORE

By GOKE BUTIKA

15 OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014

THE 2015 general electionis fast-approaching. In sixmonths time, elections

would hold in the country intoparliamentary and executivepositions. In spite of theabundant resources in thecountry, Nigerians continue towallow in abject poverty.

Our past leaders, except veryfew, have vision and mission ingovernment. For a leader to leadhis people successfully, heneeds to have vision, whichwould inform what he needs toaccomplish for them. After hehas identified the vision, he musthave a sense of mission to carryout his plans.

In most cases, we choosepeople based on primordialsentiment, either based on ethnicaffinity or religion. This, in thepast has not helped us. Suchleaders have abused theprivileges given to them becausethey were not qualified for thejob. They could not deliver therequisite service because theydo not have what it takes to lead.One cannot simply give what heor she does not possess. Withgood leadership, Nigeria wouldhave gone very far by providingpositive leadership in the Africancontinent. Nature has endowedus with human and materialresources but we are unable toharness the resources for ourbenefit. We need leaders, whohave ideas and not money. Weneed leaders, who are proactiveand not those, who will giveexcuses for their inadequacies.Nigeria needs leaders, who willturn our abundant and potentialresources into a meaningfulasset for the people.

Nigeria has a growingpopulation with majority ofyouths unemployed. Productsfrom our tertiary institutionsthese days are usually in their20s, helping to compound theunemployment situation. Thereis a need for concerted effortsby the government to ensure thatthere are plans not only for thepresent generation but the futureones as well. If we fail to plan,then as the dictum goes, wecertainly plan to fail.

What is the net result of therevenue we made from the blackgold? We boast about moneynot being our problem, but howto spend it. Today, is money theproblem or how to spent it?Since the middle of last year,revenue due to states has been

slashed by 40 per cent withoutany cogent and identifiablereasons. The federal authoritieshave not been convinced on theslash.

The activities of pipelinevandals are not strong enough.

If the security agencies,

Time For LeaderWith Vision

•JONATHAN

AUDACIOUSEXPLOIT

withMURTALA AGBOOLA

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

especially the National Securityand Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC) are maintained by stateto oversee the pipelines, then oneexpects that they should do theirjob effectively. Besides, someNiger-Delta militants werereported to have earned big

contracts to oversee thepipelines in the creeks. If allthese measures are not strongenough, then the states and byextension, the people, shouldnot be made to suffer for it.

The forthcoming electiontherefore gives Nigerians theample opportunity to elect theright candidates. It is only byso doing that we can turnthings around. Candidatesmust present their manifestoesto the people upon which theyshould be assessed.

In the 2011 election, thePresident, Dr Goodluck EbeleJonathan, tactically withdrewfrom the general media debateorganised for the presidentialcandidates, but chose toattend the one organised by theNigeria Television Authority(NTA).

Jonathan would have been inpower for more than fouryears by next year, when theelection would take place. Heshould talk to Nigerians howhe handled the issue ofinsurgents, unemployment,fuel subsidy and generalgovernance. If he is able to dothat successfully, Nigeriansshould return him to power. Ifotherwise he should berejected.

“With good leadership,Nigeria would have gone veryfar by providing positiveleadership in the Africancontinent. Nature hasendowed us with human andmaterial resources but we areunable to harness theresources for our benefit. Weneed leaders, who have ideasand not money. We needleaders, who are proactiveand not those, who will giveexcuses for theirinadequacies. Nigeria needsleaders, who will turn ourabundant and potentialresources into a meaningfulasset for the people.”

Adieu Sheikh AjisafeTHE Chief Imamof Osogbo,who doubled as

the President-General League ofImams and Alfas, South West,Edo and Delta states gave up theghost last Monday at the ripe ageof 85 years.

Ajisafe breathed his last at hisArikalamu residence in Osogboafter brief illness.

The late Muslim cleric wouldbe sorely missed for his level of

intelligence and erudition. Theinformation about his death camelike a bolt from the blues. We neverexpected it, but like every mortal,Ajisafe tasted the bitter pill ofdeath.

After the death of ProphetMuhammad, some Muslims wereof the belief that he should not havedied, but Khalifa Abubakar told

them the prophet hadgone to the great beyond.It is only Allah that would

never die.The good deeds of Sheikh

Ajisafe would follow him to thegrave. Some Muslims and non-Muslims alike may consider thethird day for his janazah as usual.It is the maximum (72 hours)allowed for a deceased to bemade to lay before beinginterred. May Allah grant himAljanat Fridaos.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

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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.

By NIYI AKINNASO

Reporters And False Reports

JOURNALISM is a very nobleprofession when it is properlyconceived in terms of its role

as the Fourth Estate, a termreportedly first applied to thepress by Edmund Burke in aparliamentary debate in 1787 onthe inauguration of press reportingof the British House of Commons.Ever since then, the press hasmaintained its role as the public’swatchdog, by keeping a watchful eye onthe three traditional estates of the realmand informing the public about theiractivities.

Historically, the three estates of therealm consisted of the clergy (LordsSpiritual), the nobility (Lords Temporal),and the common people (Commoners).Today, however, we tend to think of thethree arms of government — theexecutive, the legislature, and the judiciary— as the three estates.

Journalists, who constitute the bulk ofthe fourth estate, engage in a variety oftasks, including photographing, reporting,writing, editing, and broadcasting newsstories. Such stories are usefu ininforming and educating the public, inkeeping government officials in check,and in providing material forcommentators.

In the course of performing thesefunctions, a rough division of labour hasdeveloped among journalists. A group,consisting largely of reporters andcorrespondents, goes to the field to gathernews stories and write reports on themin newspapers or speak to them ontelevision. Photographers often workhand in hand with them to provide still ormotion pictures of some of these events.Broadcasters often read edited versionsof news stories on television.

Reporters and broadcasters areexpected to tell authentic and true stories.The best way to achieve this goal is toverify their stories by cross-checkingfacts and viewpoints and by interviewingas many participants in, or eyewitnessesof, the events they report on.

When reporters are so good at trackingdown a story and following through onas many leads as come their way, we callthem investigative reporters. Their goalis not just to tell stories but to sensitisethe public to the implications of the storiesthey tell, by highlighting their impact onpeople’s lives. Miss Toyosi Ogunseye,Editor of Sunday Punch, is such areporter, whose thoroughly researchedand investigated reports have won manylocal and international awards.

Sadly enough, however, many areporter these days hardly report storiesaccurately because they often fail toinvestigate available sources. Instead, theytake their one and only source as sacrosantand run with it. This is due partly tocompetition, especially the struggle forfirst place, or not to be left out, inreporting a particular story, partly toinadequate training and equipment, andpartly to sheer laziness. A one-timejournalist even told me that financialinducement may well be an additionalfactor. It was a combination of thesefactors that led to the contradictoryreports about two officials of theIndependent National Electoral

Commission, who participated in theOsun governorship election on August9, 2014.

The main outline of the two relatedstories is simple. In one case, on August8, a day before the election, vigilant AllProgressives Congress youths observedan INEC official and his driver movingsuspected sensitive election materialsaround the local government. They weretracked down and handed over to thepolice. Upon investigation, the official’sphone log indicated that he had beencontacting a chief of the PeoplesDemocratic Party in the state. At the endof the day, INEC itself stepped in andgot the two persons released. It alsoissued a press statement, arguing that theofficials were only moving non-sensitivematerials to the registration areas centres.

In the second case, on August 9, onElection Day, the APC protested that itspolling agents were not given their partyagent tags, whereas other party agentswere given theirs. The error wasimmediately corrected. At the conclusionof the election, the same official, whoinitially denied the APC agents of theirtags, refused to produce the Form EC8C

customised for the Osogbo LocalGovernment Area, on which the collatedresults of the various wards in Osogbowere to be recorded. Upon the APC’scomplaint, the INEC official was queriedand given an ultimatum to produce theform. He eventually complied.

These events were widely reported,especially online, as soon as theyhappened. The bottomline is that the APCwas the complainant in all the cases as itwas on the receiving end of all theproblems.

Then, came September 3, 2014, whennewspapers were again awash withstories about the same INEC officials,indicating that INEC had suspended themfor their alleged involvement in electoralmalpractices during the August 9governorship election in the state. All thestories cited a source “close to thegovernorship candidate of the PeoplesDemocratic Party in the state, IyiolaOmisore”. Citing the same source, theofficials’ offences were said to include“sale of ballot papers to the APC,manipulation of Form EC8 series to favourthe APC and voiding of PDP votescounted in favour of the APC.” Finally,

the source claimed, “INECheadquarters tried them andfound them culpable of workingfor the APC to rig the election.”

These false stories promptedINEC to quickly issue a pressrelease to tell its own side ofthe story. The release reads inpart, “It is pertinent to clarify

and also set the record straight that thetwo electoral officers (EO), Mr FunshoTope Fabunmi (Osogbo LocalGovernment) and Mr Anthony OlusegunEsinoye (Obokun Local Government)were not suspended based on allegedcollusion with the All ProgressivesCongress to manipulate electoral processin favour of the party in Osogbo andObokun local government councilsrespectively.” The following clarificationwas further added: “They were neitherculpable of selling ballot papers to the APCnor manipulating Form EC8C to favourthe APC and voiding of the PDP votescounted in favour of the APC. Fabunmiwas suspended based on administrativelapses occasioned in the course ofdischarging his duties.”

What is worrisome about the reportsof September 3 in which many reportersliterally chorused one another in dishingout a spurious story is the total lack ofprofessionalism. Why run with a storyas told only by a PDP chieftain, when theAPC, INEC, and Police officials wereavailable to cross-check the story? Whynot even interview the INEC officials atthe centre of the stories? And why did allthe reporters lack memory about the sameINEC officials in their stories on August8 and 9, 2014?

I have taken pains to follow thesestories for one major reason. Reporterswill complicate the political landscape in2015, if they fail to report eventsaccurately as happened many times inOsun State, for example, with the Hijaband school reclassification stories and thenumerous distortions paraded as fact bythe PDP candidate during the campaigns.They must know that, unlike columnists,who comment on media stories, reporterscannot take sides. Columnists can arguein favour or against a particular policy orprogramme or even endorse a particularcandidate for election.They can condemnbad practices or commend good ones aswell make suggestions for modificiationor improvement. Reporters do not havesuch latitude, when reporting a story.

True, columnists and other mediacommentators are often “attacked” byintolerant readers or viewers, whodisagree with their position. What suchreaders or viewers fail to recognise is thatdemocracy is advanced by weighingdissenting views. It takes maturity toknow that you do not condemn the otherperson for holding a contrary view or forsupporting a different candidate.

Be that as it may, it is incumbent onreporters to provide accurate information,especially at this period in our nationalhistory when we face Boko Haraminsurgents, Ebola outbreak, and arepreparing for general elections.

Culled from THE PUNCH