Osun Rerun: Tension Mounts as APC, PDP Slug it Out

Sequel to a tight race for the governorship seat in Osun State on September 22, the leading gladiators are back in the ring today for a decisive battle.

Out of the 48 political parties that contested the September 22 gubernatorial election, only the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will slug it out today.

In the last election, PDP led with a total vote of 254,698 followed by APC’s 254,345. The margin is 353, but a winner could not be declared, according to the umpire because the number of voters in units where elections were cancelled is 3498.

INEC’s Returning Officer, Prof Joseph Adeola Fuwape who could not announce the result, said, “…According to election guideline, where the margin of win between two leading candidates is not in excess of the total number of registered voters of the polling units where elections were cancelled, a candidate or a party may not be returned.

“With that difference, unfortunately as the Returning Officer, it’s not possible to declare any party as the clear winner of this election on the first ballot.”

Since September 22, leaders of the APC and PDP have been running around to form alliances, as the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Dr Iyiola Omisore, who came third in the election with 71,028 votes, became the beautiful bride that everybody wanted to court.

All roads led to Ife, as PDP and APC delegations paid Omisore visits.

The battlegrounds in today’s rerun election are in three areas – Ife, Orolu, and Osogbo.

Omisore holds the ace in Ife. PDP led in Orolu in the last election with 7, 776 votes against APC’s 5, 442, and APC led in Osogbo with 23, 379 against PDP’s 14, 499.

Three of the seven units where the rerun election would be held today are in Ife with a total of 1,314 votes. Ife is Omisore’s stronghold and he proved it in the last election as he scored 20, 494 votes in Ife Central alone, where APC trailed with 6, 957 votes and PDP – 3, 200.

PDP came third in the results from Ife and it needed Omisore more than APC in the area.

At first, it appeared as if PDP would win the heart of Omisore, and it was so close, but there’s many a slip between the cup and the lips.

A day before the election, Omisore broke the heart of PDP as he announced that he was going with APC to the chagrin of PDP leaders who had earlier courted him.