Shun Violence In Osun APC Governorship Primary, Aregbesola Tells Supporters

This photo shows former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola (first from right), addressing a crowd of supporters. Source: Facebook

Former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, has appealed to his supporters to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner as they participate in the governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

He made the appeal on Saturday as the party conducts the exercise to select its candidate in the forthcoming election scheduled to hold on July 16, as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“Another electoral cycle has rolled by, and we are now in that season again in Osun. We should thank God for the democratic right to participate in the electoral process of electing our leaders,” said Aregbesola who serves as the Minister of Interior in President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet.

“As you all know, this is a two-staged process. The first is intra-party, meaning that our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), will democratically nominate its candidate. The second stage, inter-party, will take place in a state-wide election sometime in July, God willing.

“For this first stage, I am appealing to all our party members to participate peacefully in the primary election taking place today. They should avoid any form of violence, brigandage, and disorderliness.

“Our party members, especially our supporters, should be resolute to cast their vote, not to be intimidated and scared away. But they should portray themselves and the party in the best form in comportment, organisation, and promotion of societal peace and tranquillity,” he pleaded.

There has been a division within the ruling party in the state recently following a disagreement between incumbent Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and his predecessor.

As a result, Aregbesola seek to unseat Oyetola whom he supported to succeed him in September 2018. Senator Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came second in that poll.

The minister has now declared his support for a former Secretary to the State Government during his administration, Moshood Adeoti, as his anointed candidate for the forthcoming election.

Notwithstanding the disagreement, he asked members of the party in the state loyal to him to remember they were first a community of humans before a political community.

“Our peaceful coexistence, therefore, supersedes every other activity,” said Aregbesola. “The Nigerian and our party’s constitutions make provision for the expression of our preference and choice of leader every four years.

“This is the heart of the democratic process. It is an inalienable right we should take as sacred and exercise with every sense of responsibility. I am also appealing to our members to push out the women and let them lead the process by coming out decently and peacefully.”

According to the former governor, this is to demonstrate the customary dignity of women as matriarchs, mothers, wives, and daughters, which confers on them the special protection status from violent attacks from thugs and hoodlums.

“Our overall objective is to have a transparent, free, fair, and peaceful election. I wish us all a peaceful, free, fair, and successful primary election,” he concluded.