Rep By-election Threatens AC Accord In Oyo

By Wale Adele - 02.02.2008

THE result of last Saturday's by-election into the House of Representatives vacant seat in Oyo State is now threatening the fragile peace between the camps of former governors Lam Adesina and Rashidi Ladoja, both of the Action Congress (AC).

The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won the election with a wide margin, leaving the AC leaders trading blames among themselves.

About 24 hours to the election, two candidates were laying claim to being the candidate of the AC until the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released the list of cleared candidates, which finally settled the dust.

One of the candidates, Alhaji Bashiru Latinwo, loyal to the Ladoja camp, was announced the candidate of the AC.

This, it was learnt, split the two camps. When Saturday Tribune, however, asked for reaction from the camps of both Adesina and Ladoja on the party's poor showing at the poll, it was buck passing all the way.

While the Adesina camp believed Ladoja was not open enough with the party as he allegedly ran the campaign from his house, Ladoja believed the party lost due to overwhelming rigging by the PDP.

Latinwo, the AC candidate who is also Ladoja's spokesman, said bringing in Adesina's men could not have made any difference, adding as matter of fact, we all worked together for the election.

He said he held meetings with Adesina twice before the election on the strategy to adopt.

He added that even the party leaders at the local government level also endorsed his candidature after the duo of Adesina and Ladoja had agreed to it.

He said he lost because the leaders of the PDP allegedly mobilised thugs to the two local governments where the election took place.

The thugs, he alleged, chased away the voters before they stuffed the boxes with thumb printed ballot papers, which they forcefully took from the electoral officers.

Latinwo added, "Under the circumstance, there was nothing anybody, even Lam, could have done to win because no proper election took place."

The Personal Assistant to Adesina, Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle in his reaction, said most of the party leaders did their best during the election.

Ibikunle also alleged that the state government used the apparatus of the state to rig the election.

Ibikunle said there was no fear about the success of the party's accord, saying the party leaders were still working on how to make the party better.

He said one or two areas where the party observed some flaws in the last election were being addressed.