Ahead of the conduct of the 22 February local government election in Osun, the state chapter of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) on Monday told the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) not to succumb to the alleged plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop the exercise.
The party said it observed an alleged campaign of calumny from some quarters aimed at thwarting the poll in the state, saying the electoral body should remain committed and proceed with the conduct of the election.
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The NNPP’s position followed the APC’s claims that OSSIEC chairperson Hashim Abioye was ineligible to conduct the election. The APC argued that there are pending court litigations over Abioye’s membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which disqualifies him from presiding over the exercise.
However, the NNPP noted that the electoral body had expended a huge amount of state resources on the preparation for the council poll since last January, hence the need to see it through.
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According to a statement signed by the NNPP chairperson in Osun State, Tosin Odeyemi, and made available to the journalists in Osogbo, the party contended that only an enemy of democracy would, out of selfish interest, attempt to stop the planned election.
It reads, “I was surprised seeing so much misinformation flying around on social media recently about next month’s poll.
“Why would anybody wait till this moment before raising any objection to the poll or its handlers? We have been showing concerns about the way the ruling party in the state has been spending our collective money.
“Any reasonable person in Osun would know that OSSIEC had committed a lot to this election. Our party, together with other political parties in the state, All Progressives Congress (APC) inclusive, held a meeting with OSSIEC some months ago where we all passed a vote of confidence on the Hassim Abioye-led commission.
“Pictures don’t lie. The representative of the APC was there, raising no objection to the move. He was there throughout the meeting in acceptance of all what we did that day. Why making moves that can jeopardise the process now? We all clamoured for local government autonomy. How are we going to experience it when some people are planning to stop the polls?
“Things are not going well at the grassroots in Osun since the state governor hijacked its administration. Now that we are hopeful of having democratically elected people at the local level, some are planning to send us back to square one. No way!
“We are calling on OSSIEC not to be deterred, put everything in order, and ensure a free and fair local government election in the state,” the statement concluded.
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