Breaking :20 Parties Declare Support For APC’s Candidate, Gboyega Oyetola

20 parties in Osun state under the aegis of Alliance for Cooperating Political Parties (ACPP) have declared their support for the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola.

The decision was announced at a press conference in Osun state on Wednesday, September 26, 2018.

The Osun governorship re-run election is scheduled on hold on Thursday, September 27, 2018.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the governorship election which held on Saturday, September 22, 2018, inconclusive.

According to Tribune, one of the party leaders, Prince Adesoji Masilo called on members of the coalition to come out en masse and vote for the APC.

Masilo also said that the APC has shown that it has the capacity to develop the state.

The statement reads: Gentlemen of the Media, we, the Alliance of Collaborating Political Parties (ACPP) in Osun State welcome you to this media briefing.

The ACPP comprised of more than 20 political parties, majorly from the opposition fold, including the All Progressives Congress (APC) before it became the ruling party in Osun.

We are stakeholders in politics and political activities in the state and we are key players in the development of Nigeria’s democracy.

We participated in the September 22, governorship election which was declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and for which a rerun has been scheduled for Thursday September 27, 2018.

We commend the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the conduct of the governorship election which local and international observers adjudged free, fair, peaceful and credible.

We are keenly interested in the rerun of the governorship election which is coming up tomorrow in seven polling units of Orolu, Osogbo, Ife-South and Ife-North Local Government Areas.

We commend the people of Osun for coming out in large numbers to vote and for conducting themselves peacefully and in an orderly manner during the election. In the face of provocations in some quarters, the people of the state exhibited Omoluabi ethos by remaining calm and law-abiding during and after the election. This is commendable.

Similarly, we laud the security agencies for their professional conduct and for upholding democracy. Of course, Osun has never had a tension-soaked and well-contested election like the September 22 governorship election.

Despite the tension, there was no violence anywhere in the state. There was no harassment, intimidation or oppression of the electorate by security agents.

Gentlemen of the media, we are left with two candidates in the rerun election –the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s, Gboyega Oyetola and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s, Ademola Adeleke.

As stakeholders and lovers of development, we consider competence, good track record, education, private and public sectors experience, intelligence and good conduct as factors in choosing who to support.

Considering all these, we are left with no choice than to declare our support for Gboyega Oyetola, the APC candidate. We fully endorse his candidature.

It is our firm opinion that he has the capacity to govern Osun and continue the development of the state. Oyetola is a God-fearing, capable, well educated, humane, honest and a man of integrity. We urge the people of Osun who are voting in the seven polling units in Ife-North, Ife-South, Orolu and Osogbo Local Government Areas to massively vote for him tomorrow.

We also urge the people to be orderly, peaceful and law-abiding during and after the runoff election.

We condemn strongly the monetization of the election in Osun by the PDP as manifested in buying voters card, paying for votes and making voters to swear to satanic oaths in exchange for cash. This amounts to political corruption that is capable of subverting and undermining the foundation of democracy in Nigeria and Osun in particular.

We call on law enforcement agents to investigate this matter, apprehend the perpetrators and make them to face the law. This evil and cancerous development must be excised from our body politic.

We call on all the security agencies to be at alert and ensure that nobody, irrespective of political affiliation, is allowed to jeopardise the peaceful atmosphere of the state during and after the election.

Also, Iyiola Omisore, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, in the Osun governorship election, has agreed to help the All Progressives Congress (APC) defeat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday, September 27, 2018.