Osun PDP Moves To Frustrate LG Poll, Urges INEC To Withhold Voters Register

By Ayodele Oni

The People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) in Osun state is doing everything possible to frustrate the planned local government election by outgoing administration of Governor Gboyega Oyetola and the All Progressive Congress, (APC).

The Chairman, State Independent Electoral Commission, (OSSIEC) Segun Oladuntan, had fixed October 15 for election into the local governments in the state barely a month to hand over date of the incumbent administration.

The opposition PDP has vowed not to participate in the poll but has gone further by asking Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to make available the updated voters register toOSSIEC. for the purpose of the proposed local government poll.

In a letter signed by the Osun PDP legal adviser, Hashim Abioye, INEC was also advised to stay aloof from the proposed local government election.

Abioye noted that the insistence of the OSSIEC Chairman in going ahead with the conduct the local government poll in the State despite various warnings from concerned citizens of Osun State, was in contravention of the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022.

The Osun PDP lawyer stated that a legal action had been instituted in the Osogbo Federal High Court to ensure that the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, were complied with by OSSIEC in the conduct of local government elections in State.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission is a party in that case and the processes have been served on both INEC and OSSIEC.

“The Provision of the Electoral Act, 2022 Section 28 thereof is that no election can hold until and unless a notice of such election is given “not later than 360 days” before the said election and in Section 29 of the same Act, list of candidates must be published “not later than 180 days”.

“There is no doubt, the said provisions of the Electoral Act are mandatory and must be followed to the letter.

“The Supreme Court decision in OSSIEC V. ACTION CONGRESS also mandates that the provisions of the Electoral Act must be complied with in the conduct of local government elections. The phrase “not later than” has been interpreted by the apex court to mean “not shorter/earlier than.

“To our dismay, none of the above conditions and stipulations as envisaged by the Electoral Act, 2022 and against the decision of the Supreme Court in OSSIEC V. ACTION CONGRESS have been complied with by OSSIEC and yet, OSSIEC still insists on conducting an election that is unknown to law.

“We do not have any problem with OSSIEC conducting a local government election, but we envisage an election that will be conducted in compliance with the law. We wish to bring to the notice of the Independent National Electoral Commission that the Electoral Act pursuant to ‘Section 150’ criminalizes the conduct of Local Government election by a State Commission that is in contravention of the relevant provision(s) of the Act.”