September 20, (THEWILL) – On Friday, the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Ogun State Chapter, called on the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Oludaisi Elemide, to prevail on the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) to withdraw the administrative fees levelled on political parties in the state.
OGSIEC’s Chairman, Mr Babatunde Osibodu, had announced a N250,000 charge for chairmanship candidates and N150,000 charges for councillor candidates of political parties participating in the November 16 Local Government Elections in the state.
But, speaking at the meeting with the leadership of the Assembly, the State’s IPAC Chairman, Comrade Abayomi Sanyaolu, made an appeal to the Speaker to prevail on OGSIEC to remove the Administrative charges to allow more candidates to participate in the council election.
Sanyaolu explained that the bogus fees were killing political parties in the state especially during the current period of economic hardship occasioned by fuel subsidy removal, insisting that no political parties in the state had the financial capability to provide the money.
He explained further that IPAC was also seeking the extension of the Nov. 16 date of the elections to enable the house to review and amend the Ogun State electoral laws of 2007 which have become obsolete.
IPAC Chairman said, “Inter-Party Advisory Council is asking the House of Assembly to intervene in the current impasse between the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) and IPAC over.
“We are also asking for the outright withdrawal of Administrative Fees imposed on political parties; An extension of the elections to enable the house to review and amend the Ogun State electoral laws of 2007 which have become obsolete and A review of the Process by which local government elections are conducted”, he added
Responding, the Speaker charged the Management of OGSIEC at the meeting led by Commissioner 1, Tunji Akoni, to go and review the administrative fees and adhere strictly to its electoral guidelines in the forthcoming Nov. 16LG elections in the state.
Elemide, in the company of leadership members of the Assembly, urged OGSIEC to ensure all activities embarked on by the commission were in line with the state and country’s laid electoral act and constitution.
He added the Assembly was always ready to partner with the commission to ensure a free and fair council election across the 20 Local Government Areas of the state.
