Sixteen opposition political parties in Osun State have withdrawn from the forthcoming local government election, citing bias and lack of transparency by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC).
The parties, led by the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) chairman, Victor Akande, alleged that OSSIEC chairman, Hashim Abioye, planned to employ PDP members as electoral officers and failed to disclose nomination fees for the poll.
Akande stated, “We have reliably gathered that Abioye has perfected plans to use PDP members as Electoral Officers during the election… His intention is to trap us into conducting our parties’ primary elections without disclosing the amount each party will pay, which will, of course, lead to efforts in futility after announcing an exorbitant fee.”
The parties accused the PDP-led administration of creating avenues for crisis to scare voters away from the election. They resolved to back out of the election, awaiting the credibility of the poll involving only the PDP.
Reacting, Abioye dismissed the allegations, stating that he was still consulting stakeholders on nomination fees and electoral officers. He urged the media to ask IPAC to mention names of listed electoral officers, calling the allegations unfounded.
