How Aregbesola won Saturday’s election

There is no doubt, the contest was a tense one. At a point, nobody could comfortably predict with any level of certainty where the pendulum would swing but by 7.45 am on Sunday, the Chief Returning Officer for Osun gubernatorial election, Professor Bamisile Omole, announced the incumbent governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress […]

There is no doubt, the contest was a tense one. At a point, nobody could comfortably predict with any level of certainty where the pendulum would swing but by 7.45 am on Sunday, the Chief Returning Officer for Osun gubernatorial election, Professor Bamisile Omole, announced the incumbent governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the ‘Oranmiyan’ as the winner of the election, having scored the highest votes cast of 394,684 against his harsh rival, Senator Iyiola Omisore with 292,747 and having won in 23 local government areas of the state.
Before the Saturday election, security personnel comprising men of the military, police, DSS, Civil Defence, including masked security men that were alien to the rural communities were drafted to the state. This no doubt created fear among the residents.
Besides, there have been accusations and counter accusations between the two main rival political parties, APC and PDP over various issues which range from plans to rig the election to other sundry issues.
Despite these sentiments, large number of people turned out on the day of the election to cast their votes for candidates of their choice, not minding the tight security put in place .
In Osogbo, the turnout was overwhelming, same with other villages and towns in the state visited by our correspondent. In some of the villages visited, old men and women were seen sitting on benches, while others found solace on bear floor all in an effort to exercise their rights. It was indeed a sight to behold.
Aregbesola’s saving grace
During his electioneering campaign for his first term in office, Aregbesola promised the people of the state job opportunities, saying on assumption of duty as governor of the state, he will set up a Youth Empowerment Scheme (YES), employing over 40,000 graduates.
For primary school pupils, he provided free meals and for secondary school students he gave free uniforms. Those in senior secondary schools got “opon imo,” tablet computers containing textbooks and past question papers. Under his watch, many university graduates were sent abroad for one form of training or the other. On the eve of the election, the 15 graduates he sponsored to Germany for training on motor assembly arrived Osogbo.
For the elderly, he paid monthly stipends. He embarked on urban renewal development programmes to provide the capital city, Osogbo with a facelitt and also embarked on expansion of its road network.
Before the Osun State governorship election, most of the higher institutions’ lecturers in the state were on strike, while many held grudges against him over the re-classification of schools, in which legacy Muslim and Christian schools were merged. He also took an Islamic finance instrument, “sukuk” bond of N11.4 billion to build schools.
These caused tension and the governor was nick-named religious bigot, but with quick intervention of Christian leaders such as Pastor E.A Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God and Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Ministries, tension was doused.
Besides, the payment of lecturers and teachers’ arrears and their subsequent return to work helped Aregbesola to swing the pendulum to his side. The governor was also said to have met leaders of civil servants where he appealed to them. He equally paid compensation to landlords whose houses were demolished under his urban renewal programme. Over 2,000 were also paid pension arrears, all within two months.
Also, Aregbesola suddenly embarked on humanitarian service such as offering of soft loans to traders, artisans and deployment of massive commercial vehicles to drivers helped him. These contributed to Aregbesola’s popularity and drew large crowds to him anywhere he visited during campaigns throughout the state.
Omisore’s alleged undoing
Many ardent followers of Late former governor of Oyo State, chief Bola Ige still believe that Omisore’s hands are not clean over the murder of the former in his residence in Ibadan in 2001 in the face of the  court judgement that ordered for Omisore’s detention, trial and eventual discharge.
They are still angry that Omisore who was a former deputy governor of the state could engage in a very public spat with the Cicero of ESA Oke. That he allegedly ordered thugs to insult him and publicly humiliate him by removing his cap at the palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Sijuwade. Bola Ige was killed few days later.
What further pained them was that he won the Senate election despite being in detention. Ige’s supporters thought this was a payback time to Omisore. APC also used this very well as a tool during the campaign.
Federal Government’s Might
Federal power was with the PDP and the party was boastful of it. Even President Goodluck Jonathan during his courtesy call on the Oni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade promised the monarch that Omisore would win the election. This did not go down well with most elders in the state who believe that such promise was meant to underrate them.
In the same vein, most tribes in the state are believed not to condone compromises especially the Ijeshas. Most of them saw the distribution of money by Kashamu Buruji and his friends as an insult to their integrity. Coupled with this was the presence of military men, massive police deployment to the state.
Many believe that the presence of these personnel was part of the federal government strategy to rig the election in favour Omisore. APC used this as a tool and won public sympathy which portrayed the party as being under intimidation and harassment from the Federal Government. This worked in favour of Aregbesola during the election.
Now that he is returned after serious battle, expectations are high for him to break a new record in governing the state.