Osun State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC) reporter, Mr. Tosin Oladokun and Kaftan Television crew led by Mr. Jude Ochinma, were attacked by suspected hoodlums in Ward 5 Alekuwodo, Osogbo, where the governorship rerun was conducted. The hoodlums reportedly damaged the OSBC official vehicle and seriously wounded the crew who were on official assignment to cover the exercise. Security agents in the area, including military personnel dislodged the suspected thugs who laid siege to Akindeko market but were unable to arrest the culprits. Acting Chairman, Osun State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr. Kehinde Ayantunji, who was at the polling unit at the time of the attack, confirmed the incident. He said the police intervened swiftly but were unable to apprehend the culprits, who fled when the police stormed the scene of the attack. He described the action as regrettable, saying media must not at time be the victim of electoral violence. The police also arrested a woman and two middle aged men at the polling unit on Adewale Street, Ward 5, Unit 17 Alekuwodo in Osogbo local government area for alleged possession of voter cards belonging to other polling units. Agents of some political parties had raised the alarm over the presence of the persons, who were not registered voters in the unit. Security operatives intervened to bring the matter under control by taking the individuals away. Also, some supporters of a particular political party in the state were arrested for possessing assorted charms and Indian hemp at a polling unit in Osogbo. Earlier and before the announcement of results, PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, had called for the cancellation of the supplementary election, saying it was fraught with malpractices. Secondus spoke at a press conference in Abuja, where he said the state was under siege as security agencies deliberately chased away journalists, observers and supporters of the party from exercising their basic rights. The party lamented that if what happened in Osun is what would happen in the 2019 general elections, the future of Nigerian democracy is bleak, warning that the country is sliding into crisis. Secondus stated: “Today we are all aware of the rerun election in Osun State as we address the press conference. We, the members of the National Working Committee (NWC) have reviewed what has happened since, from the distribution of materials to the actual voting that has taken place in some of the units and wards. “We found that Osun is under siege, therefore today is a black day for Nigeria. We would think that it is a state or some units, but if you look at what has transpired so far from Ekiti to Osun State, Nigerians are groaning in pains especially the Osun people.” “INEC must rise above what is happening in Osun and declare our candidate winner immediately and all the units where the security agencies have seized our people, beaten up, their PVCs collected from them, INEC should immediately cancelled the elections in those areas.” Foreign Observers Express Concern over Alleged Interference Meanwhile, the election observation team of the U.S., EU and UK have expressed concern over alleged reports of irregularities, harassment and interference by inappropriate persons in the rerun election. Giving their initial observation on the conduct of the exercise, a member of the team in a short statement said, “We are very concerned by these reports and will be checking with stakeholders to check the facts. We call on all stakeholders to remain calm.” The observers stated their position while addressing journalists in Osogbo in an interview televised by the TVC television station. Also commenting on the exercise, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) faulted it, saying that the conduct of some key stakeholders clearly ran contrary to democratic norms and standards, as well as best practices in the conduct of credible elections. The CDD lamented that a number of the incidents recorded during the poll had undermined the sanctity of the vote and the overall credibility of the electoral process. The centre specifically frowned at the conduct of the security agents as well as political party stalwarts who took steps that were clearly inimical to the conduct of a free, fair and credible election. The Director of CDD, Idayat Hassan, disclosed this in a statement yesterday in Abuja, where she decried that election observers who attempted to carry out their legitimate duties were arrested and taken to nearby police station, and were only released after being denied the opportunity to keep an eye on the process so as to guarantee its credibility. Hassan stated: “The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has carefully observed the governorship rerun election in Osun State with a conclusion that the conduct of some key stakeholders clearly ran contrary to democratic norms and standards, as well as best practices in the conduct of credible elections. “CDD observers reported several cases of denial of access to Polling Units to observers, and even voters. CDD field observers deployed to observe the process and ensure its credibility, especially in Orolu and Osogbo LGAs, were intimidated, threatened and in some cases arrested by security forces. “Credible reports from our field observers showed that despite being duly accredited by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), several of the observers and journalists were stopped from observing the process.”
Reacting thursday, former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, said that the re-run election was a charade, saying that the conduct of the APC during the election showed that Nigeria has a long way to go and thereby declared that President Muhammadu Buhari, Senator Bola Tinubu, Governor Rauf Aregbesola and other leaders of the APC are playing with “fire” over the re-run election. “The truth is there was no election in Osun State on Thursday,” he said, adding, “It was violence all through. It was daylight robbery and theft. It was a violation of the dignity, rights and sovereignty of the people of Osun State and Yorubaland.”
The Nigeria international has struggled for the past 18 months after breaking through into the first-team in fine style under Arsene Wenger. But the 22-year-old seems to be the player who has benefited most from the arrival of Emery, with his performances notably improving since the start of the campaign. And Iwobi - who came off the bench on Saturday to inspire Arsenal’s 2-0 win against Watford - admits that he is now feeling more confident than ever in north London. 
