48 juggernauts after Aregbesola’s seat in Osun

I have more than a passive interest in Osun State. Although I was born and bred in Ibadan, Oyo State where I did all my education with the exception of my first degree which I did at the University of Lagos, genealogically speaking, I am from Osun State. My parents are both from the “State of the Living Spring” now referred to as the “State of the Virtuous”. My father is from Ile-Ogbo, headquarters of Ayedire Local Government Area, home of a local delicacy called “Robo”, while my mother is from Ikire, headquarters of Irewole Local Government Area, which is also famous for the local delicacy called, “Dodo Ikire”, a specially made pepperish plantain chips. I was part of those who advocated the establishment of the state (see my published opinion entitled, “Osun State is a felt need”, in Daily Sketch of Friday, August 16, 1991.

The state was eventually created on August 27, 1991 by the military regime of Gen Ibrahim Babangida. In case you didn’t know, the state has produced notable Nigerians from all walks of life. They include religious leaders like Pastor E.A. Adeboye, General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God; renowned Chief Priest Yemi Elebuibon, and globally acclaimed tele-evangelist, Pastor Mathew Ashimolowo of the Kingsway International Christian Centre. It is also the home state of the legendary highlife musician, Dr.  I.K. Dairo, actors like Duro Ladipo, Oyin Adejobi; ace comedian Moses Olaiya (Baba Sala); multiple award-winning hip-hop artiste, David Adeleke, better known by his stage name “Davido”  and several others too numerous to mention.

The state is famous for festivals such as Osun Osogbo International Festival; Olojo Festival in Ife; and Iwude Festival in Ilesa. Osun is also blessed with numerous tourist attractions like the Kiriji War Museum, Erin Ijesa Waterfalls, Oranmiyan staff at Ile-Ife Museum, Obafemi Awolowo University Zoological Gardens, Ayinkunigba Waterfalls, and Igbo Sango at Ede.

Osun State joined the league of states with off-cycle governorship  election on November 26, 2010 when the outgoing Governor Rauf Aregbesola of the then Action Congress of Nigeria,  was able to prove electoral violence and malpractices in 10 out of the 31 Local Governments of the state during the 2007 governorship election.  In a judgment read for five hours, Justice Clara Beta Ogunbiyi then of the Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan, nullified the election  in Boripe, Atakumosa, Ayedaade, Boluwaduro, Ife Central, Ife East, Ife South, Ifedayo, Isokan, Odo Otin, local government areas.

 The court resolved that Aregbesola won the election by 198,799 votes against 172,880 lawfully ascribed to former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola. Since then, Osun joined states like Anambra, Kogi, Bayelsa, Edo, Ondo, and Ekiti to have off-cycle governorship elections.

The last governorship election in Osun State was held on August 9, 2014 while the next one is scheduled for September 22, 2018. In 2014, out of a total of 1,411,373 registered voters, 986, 117 of them collected their Permanent Voter Cards (i.e. 70.13 per cent). In 2018, according to the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State, Mr. Segun Agbaje, 1,152,751 PVCs had been collected by their owners out of 1,668,524 received in the state, leaving a balance of 515,773 as of August 17. He said it was sad that over 500,000 PVCs had yet to be collected out of the over 1.6 million produced for registered voters in the state.

In 2014, only 20 candidates contested the coveted seat of the governor, but in 2018, the number has more than doubled. In fact, 48 candidates, the highest so far in the electoral history of Nigeria, have been cleared by INEC to contest the September 22, 2018 poll. Is it not said that uneasy lies the head that wears the crown? What then is the motivation for this high number of contestants in an agrarian state like Osun? Is it really about service to self or service to the people? Will the sheer size of the ballot paper containing this huge number, mostly populated by “also-ran” benchwarmers and pretenders not confuse the voters? I can say it for free that the election is more or less a three horse race.

As campaign gets underway, I use this medium to appeal to the contestants and their supporters to engage in issue-based campaign. My recollection of the 2014 episode is very unpleasant and distasteful. In an piece I wrote on this page entitled, “The uncivil electoral war in Osun”, The PUNCH, Wednesday, August 5, 2014, I observed thus: “In a manner akin to the Kiriji War fought in the state (Imesi-Ile) between Ekiti Parapao Army and Ibadan Warriors from 1870 – September 23, 1886, political gladiators have been throwing everything into the race in order to outdo one another.  Hate speech, inciting comments, character assassination, mudslinging, inflammatory statements have dominated the campaigns and political discourse in Osun.”

“The main culprits here are the All Progressives Congress which is the ruling party in the state and the Peoples Democratic Party which is the main challenger. Both parties and their candidates have been unsparing in their propaganda war. Falsehoods are being daily churned out as facts and mountains are being made of molehills. Unfortunately, the unruly and untoward activities of the two main rival political parties have claimed two human lives.  In March, during the INEC’s Continuous Voter Registration, a PDP leader, Pa Taiwo Ogundele, was reportedly murdered in Ile-Ife. Just last month (i.e. July 2014), a member of the APC in Ilesa, Tolu Adeosun, allegedly lost his life during the fracas that ensued during the mega rally of the PDP in the town.” Will things be done differently this time round?”

Apart from the physical, psychological and structural violence experienced in Osun in 2014, there were also allegations of vote-buying. I recall saying in the aforementioned article that the main dramatis personae earlier mentioned had also been heavily involved in voter inducement and vote-buying. There are several ways they have been doing these. The political parties through their agents have been buying off voter cards from some unsuspecting electorate. A news report says they pay between N5,000 and N10,000 for each PVC. They have also been openly sharing foodstuffs like rice, garri, beans, sachet milk, noodles, salt, matches, clothing materials, kerosene and hand fans. In exchange for money, some agents of the rival political parties have also been going round to collect mobile phone numbers and the Voter Identification Numbers on the PVC of some prospective voters. Other measures being employed include promises of political appointments, giving of ‘soft loans’ to some voters as well as other sudden charitable acts aimed at inducing voters.”

Things must be done differently this time round. The security agencies under INEC’s Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security must be alive to their responsibilities by ensuring that no life is lost before, during and after the 2018 governorship poll. Vote-buying, which has been criminalised by Sections 124 and 130 of the Electoral Act 2010, as amended, must also be checked. Perpetrators of electoral malpractices and sharp practices must be arrested and prosecuted in a court of law. It bears noting that the Osun election is the curtain raiser, a sneak preview, for the 2019 general election. INEC with support of election stakeholders must therefore make it exemplary.