In different statements yesterday, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Senate President Bukola Saraki and outgoing Ekiti State governor Ayodele Fayose condemned the process from which Gboyega Oyetola emerged the governor-elect of Osun State.
Atiku described it as the triumph of tyranny, which he said would only be temporal.
“The result just declared today in Osun by the Independent National Electoral Commission in favour of the All Progressives Congress and its candidate is a travesty of justice,” he said.
“That was not democracy. That was a demonstration of tyranny.
“The victory of the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ademola Adeleke, was firmly established last week on Saturday the 22nd of September, 2018.
“This so-called victory of the APC is not a democratic victory. Observers, both foreign and domestic, reported the brazen intimidation of voters and outright suppression of voting in PDP strongholds with even PDP agents physically prevented from being at the polling units.
“These actions showed to the whole world that this unnecessary rerun in polling units cancelled or voided by the INEC, was nothing more than a red herring to distract attention and gain time, while the ruling party perfected strategies to pull a fast one on the electorate, as it has done today.
“I wish to say to Senator Ademola Adeleke and the good people of Osun State that I stand with you today and tomorrow in your time of need.
“I will not be presumptuous to tell you what to do. But what I can tell you is that whatever you choose to do, I will be with you both in word and in action.”
The former vice president called on the international community not to stand idly by while democracy is being trampled upon.
“Nigeria is a very unique nation. We are very strategic to Africa in terms of population and location. A destabilised Nigeria will destabilise Africa, and this must never be allowed to happen.
“Thus, the international community must intervene to ensure that what happened in Osun must be investigated, reversed and prevented from spilling over to other gubernatorial, legislative and national elections.
“Finally, I call on Nigerians to be on guard. The APC has shown its hand. It is the leprous hand of a tyrant.
“Therefore, we must be alert in future elections, for as Thomas Paine said, “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”
Meanwhile, Senator Saraki described the just concluded supplementary election as a charade and an embarrassment to the country’s democracy.
A statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, quoted him as saying: “Yesterday, we witnessed another display of the subversion of the will of the Osun people during the rerun gubernatorial election in the state.
“The election was characterised by widespread voter intimidation, violence and harassment.
“Accredited observers were denied access to polling units and duly registered voters were prevented from participating in the electoral process by thugs and compromised security agents.
“Like I said a few days ago, this needless rerun election was only designed as an avenue for the ruling party to perpetrate electoral fraud.
“The nature of these elections is an embarrassment to our democracy and casts an alarming pall on the institutions responsible for protecting the will of the Nigerian people as stated through their votes.
“That was why for more than 10 hours, INEC could not collate and announce results in just seven polling units with just over 2,000 votes.
“It is surprising that the election in which on Saturday, the two leading candidates were running neck to neck with the PDP candidate having an edge, four days later, as a result of manipulations and impossible conditions, the APC candidate is now being credited with all the votes and some paltry number of votes were being recorded for the PDP candidate.
“It is important for Nigerians and the international community to insist that the hands of the clock should not be turned back in terms of the achievements we recorded in the last general elections.
“We should not make a mockery of democracy by conducting elections in the manner that the Osun polls were conducted.
“The Osun election is a clear indication of how the 2019 election will be conducted.
“It demonstrates that if we cannot conduct free, peaceful and fair elections in seven polling units spread across four local government areas of a state, then the conduct of the general elections in 774 local government areas across 36 states of the country is already endangered.
“I therefore call on the government, INEC, security agencies and development partners to ensure a radical change in the way and manner the next set of elections will be conducted.”
Saraki described the Osun election as “a very low point in our electoral system.”
He added: ‘“In the 2015 elections, Nigeria witnessed several gains in its electoral process. The process was transparent and people’s votes counted.
“These gains made it possible for the then opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) to win at the centre and in many states of the nation.
“That election highlighted a fine moment in Nigeria’s democracy.
“It is disheartening that the major beneficiaries of those credible processes are now the ones subverting the basic principles of our democracy in every way possible.
“It is appalling that these people are willing to destroy our institutions in their quest to circumvent the desires of the people.
“It is important to once again reiterate that the re-run election in Osun State is not only about Osun State; it serves as a reflection of our country and the way we are viewed by the world.
“Like I said a few days ago, this theft of the mandate given to Senator Ademola Adeleke, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the elections, will not stand.
“Our party will immediately commence the legal process aimed at reclaiming the sacred mandate of the people of Osun State.
“I would like to reassure members and supporters of our party, the PDP candidate, Senator Adeleke and the entire good people of Osun State that light shall always overcome darkness.
“We have come this far after several months of after several months of dedication and hard work. I ask that we remain of good cheer, steadfast and committed to the cause. “Victory, no matter how delayed, will not be denied.” Fayose: it’s a show of shame Governor Fayose yesterday described the governorship election as a “show of shame.” He accused the APC of perfecting rigging plans with “compromised elections” in Edo, Ondo, Ekiti and now Osun.
In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, Fayose said democracy is dead in Nigeria with the outcome of the supplementary governorship poll held in Osun on Thursday. He accused INEC of conniving with the APC and security forces to pervert the will of the Nigerian electorate. The outgoing governor commended the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) flag bearer in the election, Senator Ademola Adeleke, for “having fought a good fight.” Hailing Adeleke, Fayose said: “You did not lose but your mandate has only been stolen.
“With the show of shame that happened in last Saturday’s Osun state governorship election in general and the Thursday rerun in particular, there is no other conclusion to draw than that democracy is now dead in our beloved country. “With what happened in Osun State, democracy is actually dead in Nigeria and we are in critical times. “The Osun supplementary elections was just a repeat of what happened in Ekiti state on July 14th. And it is unfortunate that, again, the will of the people has been perverted.
“It was obvious even to the blind that the Osun election, as was the case with Ekiti, was a contest between the PDP and the security agencies supervised by a compromised INEC.” Fayose alleged that the university professors used as returning officers by INEC had, ab initio, been compromised and only served the interest of those he described as their pay masters.
He added: “Therefore, we want to believe that conscionable Nigerians and the survival of this country as a whole are at the mercy of God and of the judiciary. And if the judiciary fails to rise up to the occasion, Nigerians will be among men the most miserable.” He condemned the violence that attended the election, sympathised with the families of those killed and enjoined PDP members to refrain from taking the law into their own hands.
