Ahead of Thursday’s (today) Osun State rerun governorship election, the Peoples Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress have engaged in house-to-house- campaign to woo voters.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that members of both parties canvassed for votes in Osogbo, Orolu, Ife North and Ife South, where the re-run will be taking place.
NAN reports that the seven affected polling units have 3,498 votes, which will eventually determine the winner of the election on Thursday.
In Orolu Local Government, rerun election will be conducted in three polling units with about 947 votes expected.
During the September 22 election, APC polled 5,442, while PDP polled 7,776 in the Local Government.
In Osogbo, rerun election will take place in one unit with 884 votes expected.
APC polled 23,379, while PDP polled 14,499 in Saturday’s election in Osogbo Local Government.
Also in Ife North, the election will take place in one unit with 353 votes expected and one unit in Ife South with 1,314 votes outstanding.
In Ife North, APC scored 6,527 and PDP 5,486, while in Ife South APC had 7,223 and PDP 4,872.
In Orolu Local Government, which is the stronghold of Lasun Yussuff, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and a member of the APC, it was gathered that APC members want to pacify the deputy speaker to support the party to sweep the votes.
Although Yussuff is an APC member, sources claim he has not been in good terms with the state Governor, Rauf Aregbesola.
He was one of the 17 aspirants that contested the party’s primary on July 20 but came second with 21 votes.
The PDP, it was gathered, was also looking for a way to talk to the Deputy Speaker to support the party.
Although Osogbo was considered to be the stronghold of APC, with the number of votes polled by PDP during Saturday’s election, both parties have dug in working tirelessly to woo voters.
In Ife North and South, which are strongholds of Senator Iyiola Omisore, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party in the election, both PDP and APC negotiated with him before he eventually pitched his tent with the APC.
NAN reports that the election was declared inconclusive and a rerun ordered because the number of cancelled votes was higher than the margin between the two top candidates.
The PDP candidate, Ademola Adeleke, led the race with 254,698 votes, 353 votes more than his closest rival, Gboyega Oyetola of the APC.
The margin was, however, less than the 3,498 votes in the polling units where voting was cancelled.
Consequently, INEC Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Joseph Afuwape, declared the poll inconclusive and ordered a re-run.
“Unfortunately, as the Returning Officer, it is not possible to declare any party as the clear winner of this election at the first ballot,” Afuwape said.
