Osun: The good, the bad, the ugly, and the downright ridiculous (YNaija Long Read)

by Cheta Nwanze

The people of Osun state have spoken, and they have elected Rauf Aregbesola for a second term as state governor. Congratulations must be extended to them by all and sundry without reservations. However, there are other parties in the just completed state elections that deserve our congratulations, and they must be mentioned and thanked.

Getting into town

I arrived Osogbo three days before the elections and made my way straight to the INEC Headquarters along Gbongan Road. The mood there was preparatory and security was high. I submitted my letter of introduction and was told to return the next day for my identity pass. Following that stop, the next part of the mission was finding a hotel, and this proved tough. Osogbo, the Osun state capital, is a small, but evidently growing city. There are hotels, but for an event of this proportion, the existing hotel accommodation was barely adequate for the mass of outsiders that descended on the town. I was eventually able to find a hotel, at the other end of Osogbo. Hotel Bafoo would in a way live up to its tag, “Paradise on Earth”. There was wi-fi, which worked only when it could be bothered. There was hot water.

Stephen Kolade, a College of Education, Ilesha student. He told us that some of his fellow students were arrested by soldiers the night before the elections.
Stephen Kolade, a College of Education, Ilesha student. He told us that some of his fellow students were arrested by soldiers the night before the elections.

The next day was spent largely talking to the common man. One of the lessons I have learned in my experience of covering elections is that to know how the elections will go, if free and fair, to speak not with politicians and their agents, but with the man on the street. At petrol stations where I stopped, at markets, in front of a bank, and at eateries, the choice of the people, in Osogbo at least, was quite clear – Rauf Aregbesola.

Comments (15)

  1. this is an article bimming with sentiments against the APC. Many party leaders were arrested and taken to unknown location on the morning of election. All faults laid at the feet of the APC. From this article ‘the good (inec and fg), the bad ( god knows who) and the ugly (apc and its supporters ). this is sentiments salted with few hurriedly verified facts.

  2. Good job!But i’ll excuse you for your omission. excuse you because of your obvious inability to touch every part of the state.Even if most APC supporters cried wolf,DSS themselves have confirmed the arrest of Lai Momammed and two of his companion.Yes,the presence of DSS is not bad in itself but their modus Oprandi.Meanwhile,do u think mobile police can’t do what soldiers are called out to do?i think Nigeria Police should be encourage to build her capacity for electoral service.This is far better than inviting the military to participate in electoral process.

  3. Good job!But i’ll excuse you for your omission.excuse you because of your obvious inability to touch every part of the state.Even if most APC supporters cried wolf,DSS themselves have confirmed the arrest of Lai Mommamed and two of his companion.Yes,the presence of DSS is not bad in itself but their modus Oprandi

    YNaija © 2014

  4. Good job!But i’ll excuse you for your omission.excuse you because of your obvious inability to touch every part of the state.Even if most APC supporters cried wolf,DSS themselves have confirmed the arrest of Lai Mommamed and two of his companion.
    Youmoderation.
    SAMMYAugust 14, 2014 12:22 amReply

  5. Good job!But i’ll excuse you for your omission.excuse you because of your obvious inability to touch every part of the state.Even if most APC supporters cried wolf,DSS themselves have confirmed the arrest of

  6. U’re just one Party reporter

  7. I think you dwelled too long on APC hysteria and you could have gone ahead to fact check from Lai Mohammed, commissioners and Isiaka Adeleke on their experiences on the eve of the elections. Your opinion of using masked men in an election did not come in also. I know APC might have overblown it but it’s fact that their members were harassed and arrested. That’s not ideal in am election. Whatever you hear today is of how PDP has procured elections in the past.

  8. What an interesting read. This read more like an interesting travel memoir than a political report. Like you have rightly noted, credible elctions will deepen democracy and Adamawa’s election will serve as another index given the part of the country it’s located. The unsustainable security presence is another source of concern as the general election approaches. Chxta is an excellent writer when he finds the time to do so, but as a full-time journalist now, I think we’ll enjoy the best of him. nice work.

  9. Calm and concise….devoid of sentiment and sensationalism….I hope other journalists take a cue.

  10. This was not a long read at all or maybe it’s cos @Chxta is such a good writer, he draws you in with very line. I appreciate unbiased reports such as this. On crying wolf, I have been saying this about APC and its supporters mainly on social media and egged on by the party leadership especially spokesperson Alh. Lai Mohammed. They need to quit with the unnecessary hysteria and crying wolf all the time! They need to realise that the electorate are finding their voice and becoming more independent. Election deciders are gradually becoming less about the party and more about the candidate. Field credible candidates with grassroots support and you are more or less likely to coast to victory. This noise-making by APC and its supporters, I have noticed, is gradually beginning to get on the nerves of the non-partisan folks and the undecided electorate. The party is gradually beginning to lose the groundswell of support it enjoyed when it was in the pre-merger stages. Kudos to President Jonathan and INEC for a free and fair election. Now we know that APC lost in Ekiti not because of “intimidation” by security officers but because of the candidate. How does intimidation by security personnel work when you are casting your vote? Do they put a gun to your head when you are thumb-printing? Nice one @Chxta, I enjoyed this piece thoroughly. First time in yonks I am commenting on a Ynaija or any political post online.

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