Activists Allege Aregbesola of Plans to Rig By-Election In Osun State
A civil group, the Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of
Osun State (CSCEOS) has raised an allegation against the State
governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola for releasing the sum of N55million to
the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
in the State ahead of July 8th, 2017 bye-election,saying that the sum
were released by Mr. Aregbesola to compromise the officials of the
electoral umpire in the State before and during the bye-election.
The group also alleged that the sum of N55million were released to the
electoral officials through the INEC’s Director of Operation in the
State, Mr. Wasiu Adebayo with Phone number:08035120077, calling on the
authority of the Electoral Commission to transfer the said Mr. Azeez
and other electoral officials that might be the tools in the hand of
politicians to rig the bye-election,out of the State for the
period.adding that the State governor was still concluded arrangement
to release additional sum of N20million on the eve of July 8th,2017 to
the other INEC officials in the affected ten(10) local government
areas of the State.
According to the Statement signed by the group’s Chairman,Comrade
Adeniyi,Alimi Sulaiman and copies were made available to Journalists
on Tuesday, maintained that the State governor released the funds
through the former State Resident Electoral Commissioner
(REC),Ambassador Rufus Akeju which Azeez was his ally, called on the
security agents, particularly, the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) and Department of State Security(DSS) to
investigate the Akeju and Azeez over their new alleged plan electoral
crime.
It added that Akeju and Azeez claimed to hail from Lagos State where
Aregbesola based before he contested for the governorship election in
the State on 14th of April, 2007, urging the discerning people of the
State to wake up from their slumber by keeping vigil at the activities
of the INEC officials in the State ahead of forthcoming bye-election
and 2018 governorship election respectively.
The rights group further stressed that the sum of N75million were also
taken to Alimosho Local government area of Lagos State at the weekend
for sharing among All Progressives Congress (APC) faithful that
volunteered to be the party’s agent during the forthcoming
bye-election and as well agreed to transfer their Voters card from
Lagos to Osun State during the ongoing Continuous Voters Registration
(CVR) exercise ahead of the 2018 governorship election in the
State,noting that Azeez has been the right man being used to
perpetrate this electoral fraud in the State office of the Commission.
It will be recalled that the group (CSCEOS) had alleged at the weekend
that Mr. Aregbesola had employed the service of the former Resident
Electoral Commission (REC) in the State who hailed from Lagos State at
the sum of N55million, for bribing of the electoral officials to
compromise the by-election in favour of APC candidate, Mudasiru
Hussein, adding that the funds to compromise the electoral officials
were source from the recently released second tranche of N12.7billion
London-Paris Club Refunds which meant to clear the backlog of
workers’ salaries and retirees pensions arrears.
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