September 23, (THEWILL) – Stakeholders in the forthcoming 2024 Local Government Election took the Chairman of the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission, OGSIEC, to task over the weekend. Administrative charges for elective offices was the cause of the row.
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 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 the candidates of political parties participating in the council election in the state.
But, speaking at the meeting with the leadership of the House of 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 election.
Sanyaolu explained that the bogus fees were killing political parties in the state, arguing that no political party 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 election 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 election 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 review the administrative fees and adhere strictly to its electoral guidelines in the LG election in the state.
Elemide, in company with some leading members of the State House of Assembly, urged OGSIEC to ensure that all activities embarked on by the commission were in line with the state and country’s laid electoral act and constitution.
He noted that 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.
Elemide said, “The management of OGSIEC must ensure that all the processes leading to the election are in accordance with the nation’s constitution and the state electoral act.
“We are assuring that the Assembly is also ready to collaborate with the Commission to ensure a free and fair election.”
Also, expressing his concern, the Minority Leader, Lukman Adeleye and a member representing Ewekoro State Constituency, Yusuf Amosun, challenged the OGSIEC to ensure that all the processes leading to the election follow the nation’s constitution so as to prevent avoidable litigation before, during and after the election.
The lawmakers noted that the assembly was ready to assist in amending the state electoral law if the need arises.
Speaking further, the IPAC Public Relations Officer, Itunu Abioro, requested a further reduction in the administrative fees of N250,000 per Chairmanship candidate and N150,000 per councilorship candidate being charged by the Commission to allow more candidates to participate in the local government election.
Responding, the Commissioner 1 in charge of Operations, Mr Tunji Akonni, said that the Commission has continued to interface with all stakeholders including IPAC in the course of the election process and that OGSIEC has always followed the electoral guidelines approved by the assembly in line with the state electoral law.
Akonni counselled the political parties to present credible candidates, engage in vigorous campaigns and present credible party agents to monitor their vote at the polling booth, recalling that the majority of political parties did not have party agents to represent them during election days.
Earlier, when the outcry against the administrative supported the request for outright cancellation or reduction of the administrative fee of N250,000 per chairmanship candidate and N150,000 per councilorship candidate charged by OGSIEC, Osibodu said that the fees were minimal and they are to help the commission defray some logistics costs adding that the commission would nonetheless look into their requests.
This charge is coming shortly after opposition parties have urged the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission not to allow rigging during the November 16 local government elections in the state.
The representatives of the 15 opposition parties made the call during a stakeholders’ meeting held at OGSIEC’s office, Oke Ilewo, Abeokuta, the state capital, recently.
For the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Labour Party, LP, free and fair conduct of the poll will reflect the yearning of voters for the emergence of the most popular candidates in the poll.
According to the PDP caretaker Secretary, Paul Ogunubi,“It is a known fact that the ruling party has always been the one clearing the council polls. It doesn’t matter if their candidates are not even popular. But if we mean well for our democracy and we want to deepen good governance which starts from the basic, the grassroots, we must do away with such crude practices.
“We must begin to allow the votes of the people to count during local government elections. We sincerely pray that the results of the forthcoming elections will not be written by someone somewhere but rather it will reflect the wishes of the people of the state.
“The OGSIEC chairman will be doing his image a lot of good if he can align with the people and not betray the confidence reposed in him. We want you and your team to ensure that the people’s votes count this time around and posterity will be there to judge you”.
Deputy Chairman of Labour Party, Adesegun Bamodu, said, “We have heard that the results of local government elections are usually written by the sitting government, it has always been a case of he who pays the pipers dictate the tune. But we want the OGSIEC chairman to change this.
“We cannot continue on this unholy path if we want the best for our country. The OGSIEC team should ensure a transparent and credible poll. They should not be teleguided by anyone, they must let the voices of the voters be heard by making sure that the candidates voted for are declared the winner.”
