Osun Rerun Elections: N300m Bribe Throws INEC Into Confusion
Dec 24th, 2009 | By admin | Category: Front Page Story
•Secret Deal Between PDP, INEC Officials Revealed
•Why INEC Insisted On Election
Fresh facts have emerged on why Osun State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was hel-bent in concluding rerun elections in the state at all cost.
Recent investigations conducted by Osun Defender had shown that the leadership of the commission in the state has collected N300 million deposit as gratification to compromise.
Findings authoritatively revealed that the leadership of the commission eventually caved in, when with one of the Commission’s senior officials from Abuja, were allegedly given a price they could not resist.
It was learnt that the new date of the rerun polls was fixed at a clandestine meeting where some selected national and state leadership of the PDP met with the leadership of INEC at a secret location in Osogbo, Osun State capital.
It was further gathered that the court order from a Federal High Court in Lagos State was still being deliberated upon by the national chairman of the INEC, Professor Maurice Iwu and the legal team of the commission, when the Osun State REC reportedly announced the new date in Osogbo for the rerun elections.
Checks further showed that the pressure from the Senate Committee chairman of INEC, Senator Isiaka Adeleke and some other power brokers from the senate and presidency reportedly gave the courage of Dansu and his people a boost to fix the new date outside the knowledge of the national headquarters.
While the Osun State Principal Public Affairs Officer of the Commission, Mrs. Nike Tadese insisted on having the elections in line with the directive of her boss, Dansu; the INEC’s acting Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Emmanuel Umenger equally insisted on the subsisting ruling of the court restraining the commission from conducting the election now.
It would be recalled that the Court of Appeal in Ibadan, Oyo State had, late October, sacked Iyiola Omisore, formerly representing Osun East Senatorial district from the senate, premising it on electoral fraud and violence.
The court then upheld the prayer of AC senatorial candidate in 2007 election, Honourable Babajide Omoworare, by nullifying Omisore’s 2007 purported victory and simultaneously ordered a rerun poll that should take place within 60 days.
In a related development, the election of a state House of Assembly member representing Osogbo State Constituency, Akintunde Adegboye was also cancelled for the exclusion of party logo of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA).
In a bid to conduct the rerun elections, the INEC initially fixed December 5, only to change it to December 12 under suspicious circumstances.
At the twilight of the last failed date, the AC approached the Federal High Court in Lagos, praying it to delay the elections till the INEC revises and update voters’ registers and make them available to the parties and the prayers were granted.
Returning to court, the INEC also prayed the court to vacate the order in order to comply with the verdict of the Court of Appeal, an argument which was punctured by AC lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, who hinged it on the Electoral Act, which mandates the INEC to revise and update voters’ registers every two years.
Appearing frustrated, the Osun INEC leadership was said to have given up on the conduct of the rerun elections, until he was allegedly offered jaw-dropping N300 million gratification by the embattled ruling party with a promise to add N200 million after the elections.
In the contrary, the INEC national acting Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Emmanuel Umenger had said that the commission had complied with the court order, which asked the commission to supply the AC with the revalidated voters’ register to be used for the election.
Meanwhile, the judge of the Federal High Court in Lagos, Justice Mohammed Liman who gave the order did not sit on Tuesday, suggesting that the order still subsists; making the conduct of the rerun polls an exercise in futility.
Reacting on the insistence of the Osun INEC to conduct the elections, the AC’s State Director of Strategy and Research, Mr. Sunday Akere said his party would challenge INEC’s decision to conduct the election on Wednesday.
According to him: “In its sitting last week, the Federal High Court ordered the two parties to come back on Tuesday to inform it on whether or not INEC has conformed with the provision of the authentic voters’ register to the AC.”
Speaking on the development, Osun INEC’s spokesman, Mrs Tadese confirmed that the elections would hold on Wednesday, reiterating that the national headquarters of the commission had sent trainers who trained people who would be working on the field.
However, Akere said his party would not disobey the court order, maintaining that his party had already approached the court with contempt of court charge against INEC as touching the matter.
“To the best of our knowledge, the order was never vacated, and what the court said was that your commission should provide us with the current register, while the two sides should report back to court on Tuesday, a position which your commission affirmed in your letter with reference number INEC/OS/AC/222/vol.1/62 of December 2009, asking us to come and collect the voters’ register,” Akere stressed.
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How best can this people be made to respect law and dignity above power drunkenness and what a few!
INEC, as presently constituted is a lawless organisation that at all times compromised the faith of Nigerians. Most of times it flouts court orders, receives gratifications from PDP government as evidenced in much publicized Ekiti gov and Osun constituency reruns and allocate arbitrary figures to win elections for PDP candidates. Last Wednesday rerun was worst in history of elections in Nigeria, while INEC conducted elections without electorates in a SHOW OF SHAME and then come up with crunching figures does not come as a surprise. All PDP elected officials are products of electoral manipulations and therefore will always gives cresdence to at all cost and must win postures regardless of stakeholders concern nor rule of law. PDP has failed the nation as the situations gets worse proportionally with worsening Yaradua health. We needs God’s intervention quickly because it’s an emergency.
I hope the fed. high court will not how these set of Day light robber to go free. I can sincerly tell the whose of nigerian that PDP & INEC will soon force Uniform men to take over the government. The uniform men are taken account of all that PDP & agent are doing. Even the uniform men do obey the court order during their time. These belive that without them, on other people can run this again, they never plane that one day another political group will take over from them & that is the reason they turn it to do or die matter. Hope they must pay for all these…..
I hope the fed. high court will not how these set of Day light robber to go free. I can sincerly tell the whose of nigerian that PDP & INEC will soon force Uniform men to take over the government. The uniform men are taken account of all that PDP & their agent are doing. Even the uniform men do obey the court order during their time. These PDP belive that without them, on other people can run this again, they never plane that one day another political group will take over from them & that is the reason they turn it to do or die matter. Hope they must pay for all these. These INEC people are seller that are in need of money for xems & new year & they find buyer that all he need is the goods at any given price.
I dislike AC party for creating this stupid website called Osun defender.u people are blind and cripple.Ur personal disagreement will never get across the globe.U are the one complain and make a blind judgement at thesame time on this website.u people are sadist.Whent sth is white u say is black.u will never get satisfy untill the kingdom of even aproach.I am not a politician but i hate this website base on personal disagreement which u are trying to spread among the people.Even when something is good u say is bad,and never have a second thought.U better go to lagos and ask Tinubu for a job to do.E kan hun se bi were kakiri Osun bi o ti le je pe eniyan gidi ni mo pe yin tele.I am not omisore’s fan but i just hate this stupid website being created by AC party.thanks
INEC will never and can never conduct a free and fair election in this country, inasmuch they’re being inaugurated by the government in power. It’s very shameful that a country like Nigeria still lack a credible electoral body that can’t conduct a free and fair election. A situation whereby the electoral body collides with the party of the government in power to rig out other contestants, where INEC can’t obey a simple court order.
@ kanbenko…… you’re nothing but a retard!
Do you know what it takes to have diverted a lot of strength, energy, time and resources on an election and at the end of the day being rigged out openly?
Who cares if you hate this website? It’s out of your sheer ignorance that makes you think in the backward direction.
Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Scripture says: my people are dying because they lack knowledge. Live that thing that is calling himself “KABENKO” I belive we are in the safer side. We are all ICONS of democracy. “ACTION CONGRESS” DEMOCRACY 4 EVER
@Adediran ..You have been too harsh at Kabenko! @Comrade Olaleye…worst still ,your comment about Kabenko! One thing is sure to be misundertood is the essence of life! Kabenko is e ntitled to his opinion evnthough unpopular yet that is not the best approach to make him realize ,he is on the wrong path and may dangerously make himself unhappy for a lifetime especially about Osun Defender! Now,I had personally posted and advised the editorial team of this great media ,to improve upon their reporting ,making it balance so that all righteousness would have been fulfilled,even on their own sides! They are doing great job but let it not look as if they are not on the side of people! Such that they will not be seen as mere instrument of propaganga by AC!
u cpojm
I pity mr John Dansu alot,becuse he has allowed himself 2 be used by PDP.Dansu as a man of God frm Iwesere, Badagry west,divine judgment will come upon u.Omo ale egun.
Contrary to the opinion of my fellow brother, Moshood Oni. No organisation in this country is lawless. Thereby, INEC is not a lawless organisation. There are several laws binding on its conducts, however, it is the workers there, under the umberella of the organisation that are lawless, not God fearing, agent of Ashaitan, devilish people. Whatever may be their status, most likely, Muslims or christians. If they are not as I called them, how could they accept money for selling their hereafter if they are concious of death that they may die tomorrow. This is ‘Waasi’, they are less concerned. But as they are doing this, they are simply campaining for the good people of AC (Both christians and muslims among them). They are showing it to the whole world how lawless they are and continuing to spell their irrevocable destruction which is very near and they are giving AC more and more sympathy form all people all over the country/world. But we need to co-handedly stage a ‘fight of attrition’ against them by all necessary means. They are destroyers!
Thanks, Oloyede. The extent to which these INEC officials have become lawless and escape santions makes me wonder if this country will survive and subsequently another failed republic. The judiciary remains the only hope of the masses and I hope the silent revolution initiated by them must consume all official lawlessness. Chikena.
do not crucify kabenko, opposing views like these are necessary, so that the defender would be seen to be fair to all. weldone!
Iwu is working towards relongation of his tenure which is not possible
I see INEC as a machinery tools for PDP
but for kanbenko okoilu that said AC party created one website called Osun defender, one you will announce the party you are fihhting for, you said u are not a politician, how come are you come to a conclution that one paty are fighting for what is not they are own. Please mr kanbenko ………
I have said it last week on my facebook comment that,INEC simply wanted to work for the money collected from these elements.I think,we still need to pursue more cases in court.But what a lawless society do i meet myself? One cannot just say is regretting being a citizen of this country.We still hope that with alot of effort and prayer all these bad eggs will bow and truth will prevail.
One thing that i wanted to say is that let everyone of us continue to pray for the “ULTIMATE” which gubernitorial,by the time our SYMBOL take mantle of leadership in Osun,all these element are passworded.Look at what is happening in EDO,they have all joined AC.I pray for Eng.to take the mantle very soon so that there would not be any gubernitorial election in OSUN come 2011.Birhamatika Ya’Arhama Rohimin……….
Leave IWU alone,God will not allow him to continue in Office come 2011,because he is such a bastad man that work for these set of people.Either you like it or not PROF IWU Iku adiye yio niyi ju iku yin lo.Fow go die well more than IWU,otherwise you are positive about your deeds.
osun defender is a stupid news paper that allows aregbesola to get into their head. aregbesola is a confirmed sadist, a political thug engineered by tinubu to put more fuel in the fire that is already burning in osun. their caucus is the greediest caucus in AC but there are lots of blind people following them and they cant see. do people actually notice that these guys do not focus on osun politics for the past few months. they are busy trying to impeach fasola because their caucus is losing ground in lagos. all the attention fasola is getting is making them look like outsiders and they dont like it. the issue that is going on is not about AC or PDP, it’s about individuals that will do anything to get into power. just because fasola(AC candidate) is doing great in lagos doesnt mean aregbesola is going to do the same in osun. lagos is freaking rich state that it will be stupid for any governor regardless of party not to perform. also, if they believe in democracy, they should wait until 2011 and they should stop crying like babies.
The wise are waiting for the time when the truth will prevail over the power of darkness. Those who support the atrocities being committed by the PDP leadership everyday will have their faces being buried in a mud when that time comes. Nobody needs to be told that injustice is injustice regardless of whom and to whom (it is done to). Everybody will receive his reward sooner or later. Time will surely tell my good brothers and sisters. I could remember a prominent general and politician who promised to die if his favourite fail in his bid to become the number one citizen of this country. Where is the man now and his favourite godfather? The wicked will not go unpunished. Let the misgoverned governor of the state begin to count his days in office if he has not started. More than 2.5 years is gone out of 4 years he got from do-or-die election. What will he become after this, even if he is lucky to complete this his tenure? Will those souls slaughtered before, during and after the 2007 general elections forgive him? Time will tell.
A day of reckoning is around the corner!Those who know how to do good should continue and those who are bent on doing evil should turn a new leaf! So much lesson to be learnt from Madam IBB’s demise! Oyinlola and his sychomphants can still change for the better!
This man IWU should be held resposible for the democracy hit the rocks in the country
This stupid man IWU should be held resposible for the democracy hit the rocks in the country. Agbaya alailojoti eru owo.
ARE THE PDP PEOPLE ABOVE THE LAW.WE MUST DO SOMETHING TO STOP THESES SET OF PEOPLE.GOD WILL SURELY DELIVER US
.-= balogun mawuton´s last blog ..Osun Workers Face Mass Retrenchment =-.
Am tired of this country and so call pdp bcos they are not have any respect for law at all, what i know is that they will see the yansi and shameful of their self by God grace
For some one to say that Osun Defender is biars is something I will not agree with. All the reports is genuine, though there could be a misunderstanding in some areas, it ban to happen. What did you say about all the giant newspapers that has been in existence for years ago that can not report on people’s well beeing only to write in support of party in power. They refused to reveal all the parties iniquities because of money. I am not in Nigeria, but this paper OSUN DEFENDER has been my avenue to know what is going on in my country especiall from the State I come from, OSun, that the politicians has changed her name from
State of the Living Spring to State of Higher Killer and assasination. I visited Osun State in 2008, only development noticeable is All the streets constructed by Col Ajiborisa and Isiaka Adeleke that has become a death trap for pedestrians and motorist. By that time Osun Bridge area (old governor” office area recorded death of OKADA Riders everyday. Do we talk about the Osun University experiencing increase in Tuition fees every time, A state university that a Civil Servant on GL 10 can not affort to sponsor a child. The guy called himself Kanbenko should be ignored as Silence is the best answer for a fool. To me all those people that did not let the people of Nigeria experience peace will not experience peace their life unless you change ( paapa julo awon ti on da ipinle mi ru nitori owo. Ikookan ni Olorun yo mu Emi won lo.
IWU should be held resposible for the democracy hit the rocks in the country. Agbaya alailojoti eru owo.
Why are they doin this to A.C?
Haa! INEC u are to produce and secure election materials, u dnt need 2 support any party or taken bribe from any party
Haa! INEC u are to produce and secure election materials, u dnt need 2 support any party or taken bribe from any party and Iwu or what they u 2 cal u, u better create a good biography 4 ur children bcos whatever u do 2day good or bad 2morrow shall tell
Haa! INEC u are to produce and secure election materials, u dnt need 2 support any party or taken bribe from any party and Iwu or what they u 2 cal u, u better create a good biography 4 ur children bcos whatever u do 2day good or bad 2morrow shall tell n people wil talk much abot u bcos u r kingmaker nw
It amuses & surprises me to see educated people behave as if they have never been to school in their life. How can one describe the action of Osun state INEC in conducting elections when there was a court injunction. They’ve sold their mind & soul in an open market. A primary 3 kid will easily condemn their action and sentnece them to 10 years imprisonment if that is found in the electoral act.
One thing is sure, that election will not stand. All the results are null & void. PDP are worse than armed robbers because atimes armed robbers are reasonable in their operations than the malady in which INEC do their job. INEC are worse than armed robbers; they’ve stolen the mandate that belongs to 1/3 of Osun state population.
ojo gbogbo n t’ole ojokan t’olohun. INEC should be ready for their act
It’s completely fraud election.Why the poeple electoin should be held on wednesday?
.-= OYELEYE E.A (WARD 4,ILESA EAST LOCAL GOVT)´s last blog ..Vigilance: The Price of Eternal Liberty – New Year Message From Aregbesola =-.
what do you expect from a lawless party,
Let the INEC have their elections but they should beware of the angst of the masses.