As the Osun West Senatorial bye-election draws nearer, the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties in Osun State has unanimously endorsed the candidature of Otunba Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Besides, the political parties who were also joined by some stalwarts of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against postponement of the election.
Political parties at the briefing included: 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.
Some of the APC chieftains present who pledged their loyalty to the PDP candidate were 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 Otunba Ademola Adeleke as their candidate for the forthcoming bye-election,
Adelakun further explained that all party leaders that made up of CNPP have instructed their party members to come out en masses and cast their votes for Adeleke come July 8.
Speaking on the alleged plan by the INEC to postpone the already scheduled bye-election, Adelakun said CNPP would not subscribe to such decision.
His words: “the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties CNPP 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.”
Alleging APC and Governor Rauf Aregbesola for allegedly conniving with INEC officials to subvert the process of the election, Adelakun 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.”
Packaged by Bunmi Oladejo
