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By Raheem Ibrahim<\/b><\/p>\n
Dr. Solih Owonikoko Imoloba has emerged as the new Chairman of the Ilorin Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), Western Zone, at the just-concluded election held in Owo, Ondo State, over the weekend.<\/p>\n
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The election of Dr. Owonikoko became easier on Saturday, 8 November 2025, when his opponent, Alhaji Saliu Aileru, voluntarily withdrew from the race and left the venue with some of his supporters at the last minute.<\/p>\n
It was reliably gathered that there had been a crisis between supporters of both candidates, with accusations and counter-accusations trailing the campaigns ahead of the election, particularly over alleged misappropriation of Union funds by the former Investment Committee chaired by Alhaji Aileru.<\/p>\n
During the election process, the congress rejected the nomination of the Electoral Committee but later resolved that three members of the Union\u2019s National Delegation should conduct the election through an open ballot process.<\/p>\n
A source revealed that when it became clear that the majority of branches supported Dr. Owonikoko, Alhaji Aileru addressed the congress and announced his voluntary withdrawal before leaving the venue with some supporters.<\/p>\n
Reacting to Alhaji Aileru\u2019s claim that the election was fraudulent, the Vice Chairman of IEDPU Western Zone, Alhaji Abdulganiyu Abubakar Baba, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cAll motions relating to the conduct of the election, eligibility of voters, accreditation, and adoption of voting procedures were openly presented before the congress and ratified. No single delegate raised an objection after these motions were duly moved and seconded.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is therefore misleading to claim that the constitution was disregarded. The IEDPU Western Zone 2025 Election was a model of transparency, inclusiveness, and democratic participation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking on accredited branches and eligible voters, Alhaji Baba explained:<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the avoidance of doubt, the IEDPU Western Zone currently has 52 constitutionally recognised branches. However, in the buildup to the convention, 12 additional branches formally registered with the Union and were issued registration acknowledgments, thereby qualifying them to participate as bona fide members in accordance with IEDPU\u2019s tradition of inclusivity and progress.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe matter was openly presented before the congress during the convention, and after deliberations, a motion was moved, seconded, and unanimously approved to allow the 12 newly registered branches to vote and be voted for.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis brought the total number of voting branches to 64, and their accreditation was conducted openly in the presence of all delegates.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Alhaji Aileru\u2019s allegation of electoral fraud and his walkout, the Vice Chairman insisted:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is on record that Alhaji Saliu Oluwadare Aileru voluntarily withdrew from the election\u2014not because of any fraud\u2014but because he sensed imminent defeat following the overwhelming support enjoyed by his opponent, Dr. Solih Musa Kolawole Owonikoko Imoloba.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis withdrawal was a desperate face-saving attempt to justify his poor standing within the Union. The congress continued peacefully after his exit, and the election proceeded in accordance with the approved open ballot system.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo now describe the process he abandoned midway as \u2018fraudulent\u2019 is dishonest, malicious, and unbecoming of someone who once sought leadership within our noble Union.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the adoption of the open ballot system, he added:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe open ballot system was proposed by the electoral officers and approved by a voice vote of the delegates before voting commenced. No objection was raised by any accredited delegate, and the process was conducted with transparency and fairness.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll contestants were duly nominated and seconded in line with the IEDPU Constitution. Results were counted openly and announced immediately in the presence of observers, delegates, and National Executive members.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking on the integrity of the Electoral Committee and National Executives, he said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe National Executive members who conducted the election are men of proven integrity and long-standing service to the Ilorin Emirate and to IEDPU. Their involvement ensured impartiality, orderliness, and transparency.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is therefore mischievous and defamatory for Alhaji Aileru to describe the process as a \u2018gang-up.\u2019 The only \u2018gang-up\u2019 was the congress\u2019s collective rejection of imposition and indiscipline.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the withdrawal, the election continued, delegates voted for their preferred candidates, and results were declared on the spot. The newly elected officers were subsequently sworn in by the Union\u2019s National Delegation led by the IEDPU President, Alhaji Abdulmumini Ayo Abdulmalik.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe call on all members to rally behind the new leadership and reject the divisive antics of those who place personal interest above collective development. The Union stands firm, unshaken, and resolute in the face of baseless blackmail,\u201d said Alhaji Baba.<\/p>\n
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By Raheem Ibrahim Dr. Solih Owonikoko Imoloba has emerged as the new Chairman of the Ilorin Descendants Progressive Union<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18526,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-from-the-grassroots"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18524"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18524\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18527,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18524\/revisions\/18527"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}