APC offered Omisore party platform to run for senate in exchange for his support in Osun re-run

ALL Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman Adams Oshiomhole has denied allegations that his party offered any financial inducement to former Osun State gubernatorial candidate Senator Iyiola Omisore as it only offered him a party ticket to run for elections.

Last Saturday, Osun State went to the polls to elect a new governor and after the initial round, Senator Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured 254,698 votes, while Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola of the APC got 254,345 votes. Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec), declared the result inconclusive because it had cancelled 3,498 votes in seven polling units located in Osogbo, Orolu, Ife North and Ife South local government areas as a result of irregularities.

On Thursday, a re-run took place in the disputed polling units, prompting both the APC and PDP to aggressively woo Senator Omisore who came third with 128,049 votes. After the re-run, Alhaji Oyetola emerged victorious with Senator Omisore delivering his two Ife local government areas to the APC after having entered into an agreement with the party following a meeting with a high-powered delegation.

Among the APC leaders who struck a deal with Senator Omisore after visiting him in Ile-Ife were governors Abiola Ajimobi, Abdullahi Ganduje and Ibikunke Amosun of Oyo, Kano and Ogun states as well as Ekiti State governor-elect Kayode Fayemi, Mr Oshiomhole, deputy speaker of the House of Representatives Lasun Yusuf and information minister Lai Mohammed. According to Mr Oshiomhole, the party did not offer Senator Omisore any financial inducement to gain his support and the former deputy governor never made any such demand.

Mr Oshiomhole said: “I said we had a negotiation and had a deal that has to do with the governance of Osun State. I didn’t go with money and I don’t have money to give to anybody. He didn’t ask, and there was no basis for him to ask.

“We agreed that he will have an opportunity for him to contest for a seat on APC platform. Not just for senate or House of Representatives but also for house of assembly."

Before the re-run held, Senator Omisore said the APC agreed to implement all the suggestions he put forward, so it and the SDP will be looking to form a coalition government in Osun State. Yesterday, after collating the results of the re-run, Inec declared Alhaji Oyetola the winner with a total of 255,505 votes while Senator Adeleke scored 255,023 votes.

Mr Oshiomhole added: “Both the APC and the PDP recognise that we needed to do business with the other minority parties that participated in the election and it wasn’t difficult to understand who to do business with if you want to influence the outcome of the election. It was clear that the SDP was largely in control of those areas, so if you want to do a coalition, you identify the leaders who have influence and enter into negotiations.

“While PDP were shouting in the morning that they were going to challenge the rerun, their leader went to Senator Omisore to persuade him to negotiate a possible working arrangement.

“Recognising the fact that SDP was critical to this conversation, we decided to also open negotiation with their leadership and I was impressed by his emphasis.

“He told us that, yes he has lost, but he believes that he can still win if we have a deal that seeks to address the primary purpose of his participation in the process, which is the governance of the state and specific policy issues that were of concern to him. We had a robust conversation and reached an agreement which I think is healthy.

“We didn’t have to negotiate about compensation or about paying money to anyone, as the issue was about governance, education and how we can have a working relationship ahead of the general election and in future elections. We were able to strike a deal that has to do with the specific issues that affect the welfare and the wellbeing of the people of Osun State.

“Whereas Saraki failed to strike a deal with the SDP, we secured a deal with them and now APC, working with the SDP, had a huge influence in those areas and combining our efforts, it was not strange that in the end, we won. For democracy to flourish, only people who can accept the pain of defeat should participate in an election, because there must be a winner and a loser but for the PDP to take the position as if elections are only free and fair if they win is not ideal.

“When they won election in Cross River last month, we did not hear any voice. They won in Taraba, we did not hear any voice as then Inec was perfect but whenever they lose, Inec is colluding.”

While commending the people of Osun State for keeping faith with the party, Mr Oshiomhole added that in the past, re-runs had favoured the PDP. He added that if anyone had the ability to manipulate figures, there would not have been inconclusive election, as they would have rigged themselves to victory easily.

“There has been rerun elections in the past that favoured the PDP. A lot of the governors today elected on the PDP platform, especially in the south-south are beneficiaries of inconclusive elections, and in spite of our reservations, we had to accept those outcomes," Mr Oshiomhole added.