The Secretary to the Osun State Government, Moshood Adeoti, has accused his party, APC, of manipulating the party primary to elect a candidate for the September Osun governorship election. He has, therefore, withdrawn from the primary election being held today.
Mr. Adeoti alleged that the primary is a mere endorsement of Isiaka Oyetola, whom he said is a cousin of APC national leader, Bola Tinubu.
“The primaries was arranged, skewed and designed to favour Alhaji Isiaka Gboyega Otedola, the cousin of the National Leader of our party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Mr Adeoti’s campaign organisation said in a statement sent to journalists.
Mr. Adeoti said there is no credible register of members with which a free, fair and transparent ‘direct primaries’ could be conducted.
Since the APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, announced the use of the direct primaries, it has faced stiff criticisms from aspirants.
Twelve of the 17 governorship aspirants of the party criticised the move, saying it was meant to manipulate the process as there was no comprehensive register of APC members across Osun State.
The direct primary would mean that all card carrying members of the APC would be allowed to vote in the primary. This is the first time the APC would be using it in recent primary elections. That of Ekiti and previous primary was done through the voting by delegates who are mostly party officials and government appointees.
Mr Adeoti also alleged that a “cooked up register comprising handpicked persons loyal to the emergence of Oyetola was computed, and printed in a firm owned by Oyetola in Lagos.”
Mr Oyetola is the current Chief of Staff to outgoing governor, Rauf Aregbesola.
When contacted on a telephone by PREMIUM TIMES, the Director of Media and Publicity of Moshood Adeoti Campaign Organisation (MACO), Kayode Agbaje, said: “Yes, it is true, we have withdrawn.”
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how another aspirant and current senator, Babajide Omoworare, withdrew from the primary.
“This development is with the ultimate view of ensuring party cohesion and for All Progressives Congress to secure victory at the September 22nd governorship election in the state,” Mr Omoworare’s aide said about his principal’s withdrawal.
