APC will form parallel govt in 2015 if… – Oyegun

APC will form parallel govt in 2015 if… – Oyegun



All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned President Goodluck Jonathan and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against rigging the 2015 general elections, threatening to from a parallel government if the wishes of the people were upturned.

Former Osun State Governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, also on Tuesday finally dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for APC and spoke of why Osun people should not vote for PDP.

Speaking at the grand finale of the campaign rally for re-election of Governor Rauf Aregbesola in Osogbo, the state capital, APC National Chairman, John Oye



gun, warned that any attempt by the President to rig the 2015 election in favour of his party would consume his government.

Thousands of APC supporters, including the leaders who thronged the Osogbo Sports Stadium, venue of the campaign, defied downpour to witness the rally.

More troops were on Tuesday brought to the state capital.

Oyegun, who spoke against the backdrop of under development in most parts of the country, said the PDP has no meaningful programme for the masses of Nigeria, insisting that the Jonathan’s administration was the worst in the history of the country.

According to him, “the battle line has already been drawn. The APC will no longer accept any stolen mandate. We shall not recognise any government that emerges through rigging in February 2015.”

“The APC will set up a new government, which will be a peoples’ government if the PDP rigs the 2015 Presidential election.

“We are prepared to monitor the election and if it is eventually rigged, a new government will emerge in this country,” the APC chieftain assured his supporters.

While expressing optimism that Aregbesola would win the Saturday governorship election in Osun State convincingly, Oyegun added: “Let no one tamper with the Osun governorship election, any attempt to rig the election will not be allowed by the APC.”

Oyegun who handed over the party’s flag to Olagunsoye Oyinlola who formally joined the APC at the rally, declared that Aregbesola’s performance is speaking for him among the electorate and charged the people against being intimidated by the presence of heavy security personnel.

He stressed that the only way to frustrate all attempts by the PDP to rig the governorship election is for the people to troop out en masse and cast their votes for Aregbesola.

Former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu, who also welcomed Oyinlola into the APC fold, said Oyinlola had through his decision left darkness for light, adding that the PDP represents darkness, while the APC represents light.

Tinubu, who blamed the President for the woes of the country, stated that “Jonathan was not prepared for the office he found himself. He is a confused person and that is why the government must change come next year”.

Also speaking, Oyinlola admonished the people of the state against voting for the PDP, saying there is no basis for such honour.

He added that since the creation of the state in 1991, there is no single Federal Government project executed in the state.

Oyinlola listed several other reasons why the people must not vote for PDP, among which are what he termed the deceit of the party by ?its leaders and the total sidelining of Yorubas in national scheme of things under the PDP government.

He explained that Osun State was developing on its own and through the efforts of past governments.

Oyinlola blamed the leadership of the PDP and Jonathan for his defection to the APC, saying his defection was caused by the humiliation and cheating he suffered in the PDP.

He recalled that trouble started for him in 2011 when he advised Jonathan to consult former President Olusegun Obasanjo on his intention to contest the 2011 Presidential election.

In his speech, Aregbesola explained that the APC-led government in Osun State has contributed significantly to the development of the state, citing construction of roads, education transformation, urban development and employment opportunities as major programmes embarked upon by his administration since he assumed office.

He expressed gratitude to the large crowd of people from all parts of the state who defiled rainfall to attend the mega rally, assuring that he would dedicate his second term in office to service to the people if given the opportunity to rule.

Others personalities at the rally include Governors Adams Oshiomole (Edo), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Abdullfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Kayode Fayemi (Ondo) and Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun).

APC also cried out over alleged plan by the PDP-led Federal Government to begin a mass arrest of its leaders in Osun State on Tuesday night, as a ploy to destabilise the party and intimidate members and supporters ahead of Saturday’s election in the state.

In a statement in Osogbo on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party said the arrests, which were earlier scheduled to start on Thursday, was fast forwarded because of the runaway success of the APC’s rally in Osogbo on Tuesday.

“The mammoth crowd that turned out for the rally today so destabilised the PDP and the Federal Government that they have now decided to fast track the arrest of our leaders in all the local government areas of the state.

“Already, a special team from Abuja has arrived in Osogbo solely for this purpose, while at least one of our leaders, Hon Oke, has been arrested,” the party said.

“As we have always said, election is a process. Rigging is not restricted to voting day alone. Arrest and intimidation of the opposition ahead of voting constitute rigging.

“Therefore, by engaging in the mass arrests of our leaders in Osun, by deploying highly-partisan security agencies to the state, the Federal Government has already kick-started the process of rigging Saturday’s election

“We are therefore alerting election observers, the international community and indeed all Nigerians to the evil machinations of the PDP and the Federal Government for the Osun election.”

In a related development, three staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have been arrested by officers of the State Security Services (SSS) attached to the Osun State Governor’s office for alleged impersonation and attempt to extort money from politicians in the build up to Saturday’s governorship election.

The three staff said to be impersonating the Director Electoral Operations, Oladimeji Kayode, are one Assistant Director in the Electoral Operations Department, a Level 14 officer in the Department of Electoral Operations, and another Level 14 officer in the Voter Education and Publicity Department.

Investigations by Daily Independent revealed that the suspects extorting money from politicians allegedly on behalf of the Director Electoral Operations.

After their arrests, they were taken to the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Osun State, Olusegun Agbaje, who THEN forwarded the case to INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega.

Presently, according to a competent source, the INEC chairman has forwarded their case to the Department of Human Resource of the Commission for proper investigation.

Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, Kayode Idowu, who confirmed the development, said the investigations are on to determine what happened.

The INEC chairman had always insisted that any staff of the Commission found to be part of activities that would compromise its efforts to deliver free, fair and credible elections would be made to face the music.

Jega had vowed that INEC was determined to make the August 9 governorship elections in Osun State better than the just concluded election in Ekiti State.

He averred that it was the hope of the commission that the Osun governorship election would serve as a fitting prelude to the 2015 general elections, which, he added, would be the best conducted under this commission’s watch.

Meanwhile, INEC chairman, Jega, has arrived the state for monitoring and supervision of the exercise.

He is scheduled to hold a meeting with the stakeholders today.

Security has been tightened up round the INEC secretariat along Gbongan-Osogbo road.

Four persons were said to have been arrested by soldiers for allegedly being in possession of already thumb printed ballot papers on Monday night in Ede.

The suspects were caught by some vigilant citizens who alerted the Army in Ede.

They were picked up by soldiers at their hideout in Akoda area of Ede.

The arrested persons were immediately taken to Army barrack in Ede.

But the All Progressives Congress (APC) has pointed accusing finger at the military for releasing the suspects, alleging that they are PDP fraudsters.

Over 100 anti-riot policemen armed to the teeth were stationed at the INEC to mount surveillance on the premises and the environs.

Besides, two anti-bomb squad vehicles were stationed at the frontage of the INEC, conducting searches on movements into and out of the office.

The security operatives also search anybody that has any business in the office before allowing them to move in.

Our investigation further revealed that sensitive materials to be used for the Saturday election may have arrived the state under heavy security and were immediately taken to the branch of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) along the same road.

PAC in a statement by its state Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Kunle Oyatomi, said the suspects with the printed ballot papers were handed over to the military to take the criminals into custody for appropriate prosecution.

“However the military intervene and took the culprits with the instrument they were using to thumbprint ballot papers to their base in Ede for onward transmission to the police for prosecution.

“It was discovered that this morning that the four suspects involved in the illegality have been released.

“Similarly, last Saturday during the PDP rally in Osogbo, the police were reported to have arrested some PDP thugs caught with guns and other ammunition, in their possession. But as you read this, the thugs have also been released,” APC alleged