Osun By-election: 9 Political Parties, APC Stalwarts Endorse Ademola Adeleke, Cautions INEC Over Postponement

By Abdulrofiu Agboola

The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties in Osun State on Sunday unanimously endorsed the candidature of Otunba Ademola Adeleke, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), candidate for the July 8th Osun West  Senatorial by-election.

Otunba Ademola Adeleke

The parties made the announcement at a press conference held in Ede, cautioning Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against  postponement of the election.

Political parties at the briefing include: All Progressive Grand Alliance, (APGA) Action Alliance (AA), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Green Party of Nigeria (GPN), Alliance for Democracy (AD), Democratic People’s Party (DPP), Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), People’s Party of Nigeria (PPN), People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) among others.

Meanwhile, some stalwarts of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) were also in attendance to pledge their loyalty to the PDP candidate.

Some of the APC chieftains present  are former Secretary of Ede South Local Government, Alhaji Lukman Afolabi, Alhaji Bayo Amobi,  former APC leader, Ede South Local government area Hon. Ademola Oyebode.

The CNPP Secretary, Prince Gbade Adelakun, who addressed the press on behalf of the conference unanimously endorsed the Otunba Ademola Adeleke as their candidate for the forthcoming by-election,

Adelakun further explained that the all party leaders that made up of CNPP have instructed the parties members to come out en masses and cast their votes for Adeleke come July 8.

Speaking on the alleged plan by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to postpone the already scheduled by-election, Adelakun said CNPP would not subscribe to such decision.

According to him, ” the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties CNPP in Osun State in Osun State oppose vehemently the planned supposedly postponement of the bye-election of Osun West Senatorial District slated for 8th, July 2017.

“Such postponement will amount to unnecessary tension among the political parties. Adding that “Moral burden is on the INEC not to shift the date of election”, he said.

Alleging APC and Governor Rauf  Aregbesola for allegedly conniving with the INEC officials to subvert the process of the election, Adelekun said “we have it on good authority that primary and secondary school students are being used for data capturing and thumb printing, what for and why?

He further alleged that the APC and Aregbesola had concluded their plan to rig the election in rural areas of the State with the connivance of the State boys

He, therefore, called on security agents and law abiding citizens of Osun and Osun West Senatorial in particular to call on the APC and the ruling party to allow wise counsel to prevail on this matter, a stitch in time saves nine”