Osun Agog For APC Mega Rally …Govs, Party Leaders, Others Storm State …Oyinlola Defects To APC

Osun State was agog yesterday as the All Progressives Congress (APC), organised a mega rally ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
During the rally, which attracted thousands of party supporters and dignitaries, former governor of the state, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to APC along with his teeming supporters.
There was drama as Oyinlola’s defection was almost thwarted by soldiers who were deployed to Okuku, his home town, to block all roads leading to the town to prevent him from leaving Osogbo for the mega rally.
Unknown to the soldiers, Oyinlola, a retired soldier, had sneaked out of town and was already at Government House in Osogbo before their arrival.
Oyinlola was the national secretary of the PDP but fell out with the party’s leadership and was sidelined. He made several attempts to reclaim his position but failed.
When the PDP leadership heard that he was planning to defect to APC, they persuaded him to rescind his decision but the pleas fell on deaf ears until yesterday when he defected to the APC. Other former governors of the state are in APC.
Oyinlola is considered to be one of the leading politicians in Osun State and his defection is a big boost to APC a few days before the governorship election.
The incumbent APC governor, Rauf Aregbesola is the leading contender against PDP’s Iyiola Omisore.
Meanwhile, ahead of August 9 election in Osun State, thousands of youth on Monday trooped out en-masse to canvass support for Aregbesola’s second term ambition, crippling commercial activities in the ancient city.
The youth in their thousands took to major streets of the state capital to show their support for the second term ambition of Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
The walk tagged “One Million March For Aregbe” had people from all walks of life in attendance. Many were clad in white T-shirt with the inscription of “1,000,000 Man March 4 Aregbe” pasted on the front and “RAUFOMANIA” at the back.
In a carnival-like manner, the crowd of youths from the 30 local governments snaked through Okefia-Olaiya-Fagbeesa-Station road-Gbeemu-Oluode to Orita Elelede.
The motorcade with music blaring from speakers mounted on trucks moved from Orita-Elelede to Abaaku- Ayetoro-Igbona-Ajegunle and later stopped at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park.

L-R:Pastor Ikechi Irukwu of the Redeemed Church, former President of Ohaneze Ndigbo/Author of the book ‘Nigeria at 100, What Next’, Prof Joe Irukwu, President Goodluck Jonathan, Director-General, Security and Exchange Commission, Ms Arunma Oteh and Pastor Agu Irukwu, at the presentation of the book to President Jonathan in Abuja, last Friday