APC Summons Osun Governor Over Withheld Primaries Results

The national leadership of the All Progressive Congress has summoned the Governor of Osun, Gboyega Oyetola to Abuja to explain the delay in the release of the results of the primaries held last week to elect flag bearers for the party in the 2023 National and State Assembly elections.
NPO Reports gathered that the summon message was delivered to the Governor on Monday compelling him to suspend an earlier scheduled campaign at the Ifelodun federal constituency slated for today.
The Governor, according to information, hurriedly left Osogbo Tuesday morning to explain himself what led to the withholding of the election results, a development said to have created tension among aspirants.
In some cases, many aspirants have claimed and celebrated victories for the same tickets.
However, there are talks within party members that victories and whoever gets the tickets depend on the Governor.
Some aspirants of a caucus The Osun Progressives, had addressed journalists on Monday accusing Oyetola and Famodun of hijacking the process.
Wasiu Adebayo, who addressed the press, said there were plans to just announce the preferred candidates of the Governor as flag-bearers regardless of the outcome of the primaries.
It was also learnt that aspirants for different elective offices have been summoned to the Government House today.
NPO Reports learnt that the invitation to the Government is to allow the party leadership allay the fears of party members, delegates and contestants over the delayed release of results.
NPO Reports gathered those who were expecting to hear from the Governor directly reasons for the withholding of their results may be disappointed as the Governor left for Abuja as early as 7am.
It was not clear if the national leadership of the party would compel Oyetola to allow the true outcome of the primaries to be released or he would be allowed to make his choices over who flies the flags of the party.
Attempt to speak with the chairman of the party failed as his telephone number remained unreachable as at the time of filing this report.
A source at the Abuja secretariat of the party confirmed to the NPO Reports that Oyetola was indeed asked to come to Abuja for a meeting on how to resolve the alleged logjam that has made the party not to release primaries results.
The source, who however pleaded anonymity said, “He should be here in Abuja today. I think the purpose is for him as the party leader to explain why results of primaries held since last week are still being held. Some people have petitioned the national secretariat and the party cannot pretend to say that is not a problem. We have elections to win and his own election is even a matter of less than two months. APC cannot afford that bitterness among its members.”
At the heart of the tension and the withholding of results of the primaries is the crisis between the governor and the former Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
It was alleged that the governor is being conscious not to allow members of the party who are loyal to his predecessor who is currently serving as Minister of Interior to represent the party in the state and national assembly polls next.
“But unfortunately, many of those loyalists of Aregbesola won elections in their constituencies. There is a member of the House of Representatives from Osun West who they say is still loyal to Aregbesola but won the election last week. They said he was caught on a tape during a meeting by the National Assembly caucus members saying that Aregbesola is too relevant in Osun politics to be ignored. They played the tape at Government House on Monday and what each member of the caucus said at that meeting two years ago are to be held against them,” said a leader of the party who is currently serving in the government.