The All Progressives Congress in Osun State has accused the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission of deliberately frustrating opposition parties’ efforts in the upcoming Local Government elections scheduled for February 22, 2025.
This allegation comes after OSSIEC raised concerns over improper nomination of candidates by three political parties, including the APC, Allied Peoples Movement and Action Peoples Party.
According to OSSIEC Chairman Hashim Abioye, nearly all 18 political parties that nominated candidates committed some infraction. The affected parties failed to properly nominate candidates for chairmanship positions in seven local government areas.
However, Osun APC Chairman Tajudeen Lawal expressed concerns about OSSIEC’s handling of the nomination process.
He said, “OSSIEC had issued a 48-hour ultimatum for parties to correct alleged infractions in the nomination process in nine local government areas… OSSIEC offices were unexpectedly closed by 2:15 pm on September 19, 2024, preventing the submission of the required documents.”
Lawal alleged that OSSIEC’s flagged irregularities resulted from the commission’s administrative failures. He criticized OSSIEC for lacking a Public Relations Officer and accused Abioye of handling all administrative tasks himself. Lawal questioned OSSIEC’s impartiality, citing Abioye’s membership in the Peoples Democratic Party and previous contest for a PDP seat.
“The conduct of OSSIEC is clearly aimed at frustrating the APC’s participation in the election,” Lawal claimed. He raised concerns over OSSIEC’s delayed release of election guidelines and repeated ignored or rejected requests for certified copies.
Lawal warned that the APC would resist attempts to undermine its candidates through constitutional means. “We shall employ all constitutionally acceptable means to ensure that the candidates of our party are not victimised by a pungently compromised electoral body.”
This development comes after 16 opposition parties withdrew from the Osun LG poll, citing concerns over OSSIEC’s credibility.
However, the Inter-Party Advisory Council later rescinded its decision to boycott the elections.
