Rauf Aregbesola, governor of Osun state, has been
returned for a second term. He defeated closest
challenger, the Peoples Democratic Party’s Iyiola
Omisore.
To emerge winner, Mr. Aregbesola polled a total of
394,684 votes, winning the highest number of votes in
22 of the 30 Local Government Areas of the state.
His closest challenger, Iyiola Omisore of the Peoples
Democratic Party [PDP] polled 292,747 votes to come
second. He won in eight local government areas.
The candidate of the Labour Party [LP], Fatai Akinbade,
polled 8,898 votes to come a distant third.
Mr. Aregbesola won in Ayedade, Ifelodun, Ede North, Ola
Oluwa, Irepodun, Ila Orangun, Ede South, Atakumosa
West, Oriade, Orolu, Boripe and Ilesa West.
The APC candidate also breasted the tape in Ilesa East,
Ifedayo, Irewole, Obokun, Egbedore, Iwo, Osogbo,
Olorunda, Atakumosa East and Ejigbo.
Mr. Omisore on his part took the lead in Isokan, Ife
North, Ife East, Ife Central, Odo Otin, Boluwaduro,
Ayedire and Ife South.
Aregbesola’s second coming is different from his first in
many ways. Having contested the 2007 governorship
election on the platform of the Action Congress, one of
the legacy parties that gave birth to the All Progressives
Congress (APC), he had to fight his way through the
courts until 2010 when he was sworn in on the orders of
the Federal Appeal Court sitting in Ibadan. Interestingly,
his opponent in the 2007 election, Chief Olagunsoye
Oyinlola of the PDP, defected from the PDP to join
Aregbesola’s campaign train in the run up to the 2014
election.
In May 2008, Aregbesola called over 100 witnesses and
tendered 168 exhibits in his petition before the Election
Petitions Tribunal, alleging violence and ballot box
stuffing in the election. In an October 2008 interview, he
described Oyinlola as “a bully who came from a
reactionary military arm.” As is often said, in politics,
there are no permanent friends or foes, only permanent
interests.
Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has had his fair share of
controversies. He was arrested in August 2009 for
involvement in the alleged forgery of a police report on
the conduct of the elections that brought in Olagunsoye
Oyinlola. But that was just one episode in the many of
such dramas that coloured the landscape in his march
towards the Osun state Government House. He was
summoned again by the police in August 2010 to make
a statement about a 14 June 2007 bomb explosion near
the ministry of water resources. Aregbesola denied any
involvement, stating that he was in Abuja at the time.
Despite his controversial nature, an attribute that is
understandable considering his activist background, so
many achievements have endeared the school-uniform-
wearing governor to the people, giving him legit ‘street
cred’. These include, among others:
- 40,000 Youths Employed under the Osun Youth
Empowerment Scheme.
- 5,000 Youths trained and empowered in
information communication technology under the
Osun Youth Empowerment Technology
(OYESTECH).
- Over N2.4 billion injected to the economy as
allowances for the OYES Volunteers
- 123 kilometres of waterways (streams, arteries,
canals) dredged to keep the state flood-free for
three years.
- 750,000 school students provided with school
uniforms free of charge. These uniforms were produced
by 3,000 tailors who were empowered by the governor.
- 150,000 students provided with computer tablets
(opon imo), an electronic learning tool preloaded
with 17 subjects, 54 textbooks, and past questions
of JAMB, WAEC AND NECO of the past 10years
- Primary School Funding Grants increased from
N7.4 million to N424 million a year
- 240,000 children fed daily with nutritious
meals under the Osun Elementary School Feeding
and Health Programme coupled with empowerment
of over 3,000 caterers.
- Secondary School basic funding grants from
N171 million to N427 million per year
- Tuition Fees in State-owned Tertiary
Institutions reduced by 30%
- Internally Generated Revenue(IGR) increased
from N300 million to N700 million without
increasing tax payable by citizens.
- Building of the largest commercial apiary in
Sub-Saharan Africa for refined honey production
- Building of super highways to connect Osun to
Lagos and Osun to Kwara States
- Over 3,000 permanent teachers employed into
the state education sector.
- Osun Ambulance Service Authority Established
with 400 youths trained as paramedics
It is not surprising, therefore, that the people of Osun
state came out en masse to vote for Ogbeni Rauf
Aregbesola for a second term as governor of the state.
Osun was one state the APC couldn’t afford to lose
after the party’s drubbing in Ekiti two months prior.
That upset provided some rude awakening for the APC
rank and file; a political party whose stronghold has
become near impregnable in Nigeria’s South West
region for a few years yet.

If you're currently staying in osun state, I'll need u to tell me sincerely how many of those oyes volunteers are still being paid salary as I speak, That's just one of his many failed propaganda I'll mention nd leave the rest to u That's if u really know what's going on in the state, most of which the high level of illiteracy has hindered the masses from understanding so they blindly voted him into power again. But I bet u it's gonna be another 4 years of poverty nd tyranny nd even a higher grade than the past one,u can mark my words Cos I'm sure of what I'm saying. anyway thank God I don't intend to be permanently based there as I just left there recently.

tankz to Jonathan 4 keeping hiz promises d election ws free and fair nw lets here what dose so called ACP r going to accuse pdp of nw

lilprinze: tankz to Jonathan 4 keeping hiz promises d election ws free and fair nw lets here what dose so called ACP r going to accuse pdp of nw

am sure you meant "APC"