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With just over 72 hours to the supplementary National Assembly elections, the two leading political parties in Oyo State have expressed optimism of winning the two federal constituencies where election will hold.
The election will hold in two polling units each in Oluyole and Ibadan North East/South East federal constituencies.
While the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Hon. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, is leading with about 800 votes in Oluyole Federal Constituency, Peoples Democratic Party’s Hon. Abass Adigun, aka Agboworin, is leading with about 600 votes in Ibadan North East/ South East Federal Constituency.
Speaking with Newspeakonline on Tuesday, the PDP publicity secretary in Oyo State, Engr Akeem Olatunji, said all arrangements have been put in place to secure a win for the party’s two candidates in the supplementary elections.
“We are very hopeful because as far as the two constituencies are concerned, our candidates Hon. Adigun and Mojeed Mogbonjubola are the most popular in their constituencies. And there is no Tinubu tsunami again.
“Even despite the Tinubu tsunami in the February 25 election, our candidate in Oluyole trailed the incumbent with a close margin in which we believe that with the absence of Tinubu Tsunami, and the election holding in our stronghold, we will win convincingly.
“What we are having now is Seyi Makinde tsunami, which will work for them.
In the governorship election, PDP won Oluyole Local Government with about 50,000 margin. In Hon. Adigun’s constituency, we led with about 30,000 votes. This means that the National Assembly election was not a true reflection of the reality of popularity but it was the Tinubu tsunami that reigned.
“Governor Makinde, who is the South West star boy, supported Yoruba agenda hence the election was tough for PDP National Assembly candidates.
“The people will repeat what happened during the governorship election. They have assured us of coming out en masse to return the two candidates,” he said.
But his APC counterpart, Alh. Olawale Sadare, believes that the party’s candidates stand a better chance, adding that nothing will stop them from winning on Saturday.
He urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to take sides, adding that no unregistered voters must be allowed at the polling units to prevent vote buying and other forms of rigging.
“The rerun in parts of the two Federal Constituencies was necessitated by the declaration made by INEC that the elections held on February 25 were inconclusive, but the truth is that our candidates were in a better position to have been returned elected in the first ballot. However, we are ready for the final phase coming up this Saturday and we are confident of securing undisputable victory this time.
“Our candidate in Oluyole Federal Constituency, Hon. Tolulope Akande-Shadipe, and her colleague in Ibadan North East/Ibadan South East, Hon. Adedapo Lam-Adesina, are the best for the job and this is evident in their respective background, track record and character. They have both done the needful by not taking any chances and the leadership of Oyo APC is fully behind them.
“We can only urge INEC to be fair and transparent in the conduct of the supplementary poll while collaborative efforts must also be made to disallow vote buying.
“Also, relevant authorities must ensure that state government officials and party officials who are not registered voters in the affected polling units must not be allowed to be present or move around for obvious reasons,” Sadare said.