…Closes Office Before 2:30pm To Frustrate Opposition Candidates
The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused Barrister Hashim Abioye-led Osun State Independent Electoral Commission(OSSIEC) of denying the opposition APC a level play ground for the local government council elections slated for February 22nd, 2024.
It would be recalled that the OSSSIEC chairman, Barr Abioye, addressed a press conference in Osogbo, the state capital yesterday, where he alleged that some political parties participating in the forthcoming local government elections in the state violated the provisions and procedures regarding substitution of candidates.
The OSSIEC chairman stated that his commission would allow a 48-hour deadline for the affected parties to correct the said infractions having to do with the nomination of chairmanship, vice-chairmanship and councillorship candidates by the APC in nine local government council areas of the state.
The affected local government council areas, according to Barr Hashim, are Atakumosa-West, Ede-South, Egbedore, Ife-Central, Ifedayo, Isokan, Olorunda and Oriade.
The state chairman of the APC, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, in a statement issued by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Chief Kola Olabisi, today, wondered why the hasty closure of the OSSIEC office in Osogbo as at 2:30pm when the APC counsel, Barr Galadima Adeoye, visited the office in respect of the OSSIEC’s allegation against the major opposition party in the state on Thursday?
Lawal stated that the conduct of the Barr Hashim-led OSSIEC is an indication that he is working assiduously to deliberately frustrate the brighter chances of the APC in the elections by making himself and all the categories of staff of the commission inaccessible by hurriedly closing the office before 2:30pm today when the party’s counsel came calling.
According to the state APC chairman: “I want to inquire from Hashim what he is hiding if he knows quite well that the PDP and Governor Ademola Adeleke administration where he was a Special Adviser that merely transferred him to OSSIEC as the chairman are popular?
“I want to assure Barr Hashim Abioye and his cohorts that our party will not allow him to get away with the dubious game ostensibly being played by him to favour his political party, the PDP.
“With this questionable and suspicious conduct of Barr Hashim-led OSSIEC, does one need to think twice that the electoral body is compromised and it is not capable of holding a free, fair and credible election?
“We shall employ all constitutionally acceptable means to ensure that the candidates of our party are not victimized by a pungently compromised electoral body that is not acting in tandem with its supposed independent attribute.
“Part of the reasons why we are smelling a rat about the independent nature of the Ashim-led OSSIEC is that the electoral umpire has refused to make the election guideline available to us since about one month ago that we have been requesting for it”, the Osun State APC chairman alleged.
e-SIGNED:
Sooko TAJUDEEN LAWAL, Chairman, Osun State APC.
