LG Elections: Osun APC Accuses OSSIEC Of ‘Deliberately’ Creating Obstacles, Vows To Resist All Attempts To Frustrate Its Candidates 

Osun State APC has raised a series of allegations against the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) which is headed by Barrister Abioye Hashim.

Accusing the electoral umpire of denying the party a level play field ahead of  the local government elections scheduled to hold on February 22, 2025, the party also alleged that OSSIEC  has deliberately created  obstacles for its candidates, while making reference to the press conference presided over by  Barrister Abioye in Osogbo, on Wednesday during which he alleged that some political parties that are participating in the forthcoming local government elections in the state violated the provisions and procedures that have to do with substitution of candidates.

‘The OSSIEC chairman stated that his commission would allow a 48-hour deadline for the affected parties to correct the infractions that have to do with the nomination of chairmanship, vice-chairmanship and councillorship candidates by the APC in nine local governments in the state.

The affected local governments according to Barr Hashim, are Atakumosa-West, Ede-South, Egbedore, Ife-Central, Ifedayo, Isokan, Olorunda and Oriade.

To meet up with the directives of the Chairman, the APC had concluded all arrangements to ensure delivery of the necessary documents to the OSSIEC but to its surprise, the OSSIEC office had been closed as at 2:15pm  today ,19th September, 2024. 

All efforts made by the APC yielded no results as there was no one to contact in respect of these important official matters. 

Findings revealed that some of the alleged irregularities raised by the OSSIEC were resultant from the administrative loopholes on the part of the commission which had not thoroughly done a fact check before rushing to the press. 

The OSSIEC does not even have a public relations officer with whom any political party could relay its worries and complaints in case of any administrative errors while the chairman does virtually all the administrative jobs.

It is not lost on the public that a suit challenging the competence of Barr. Hashim Abioye to head the Commission is still in existence because he is not only a card-carrying member of the PDP but had also sought for Ifelodun State Constituency  house of assembly nomination in 2023 and lost as alleged.

It is surprisingly disturbing that a commission which gave parties 48 hours to regularize its nomination could shut down its office at about 2 pm of the following day after the issuance of the ultimatum. 

The OSSIEC is either unprepared for the local government elections or mischievous in its directives to close period for regularization or nomination of candidates by any political party almost five months to the planned local government elections. 

This is accurate more so that the  Osun State Independent Electoral Commission Law, 2022 gives any political party the right to withdraw nomination of its candidate at least, 14 days before the election. 

Section 30 (2) provides thus:

‘A Political Party may withdraw the nomination of its candidate by notice in writing signed by the Secretary of the political party and delivered in person to the Commission not later than fourteen days to the election’.

The election is fixed for February 2025 and the OSSIEC has, in September 2024, threatened to shut out the candidates of the opposition and just a few hours to its ultimatum closed its Secretariat at about 2.18pm of 19th September, 2024’ the state APC chairman, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal submitted in a statement that was issued in Osogbo and made available to Team@orientactualmags.com  by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Chief Kola Olabisi on Thursday night 

 The party added that it wondered why  the OSSIEC office in Osogbo  was closed at about 2pm  on Thursday when the  APC lawyer, Barr Adeoye Galadima had  visited there  in respect of the  allegations made against the candidates of the major opposition party in the state.

Lawal submitted that the conduct of the Barr Hashim-led OSSIEC is an indication that ‘he is working assiduously to deliberately frustrate the brighter chances of the APC in the upcoming  local government elections by making himself and all the categories of staff of the commission inaccessible and hurriedly closing the office before 2:30pm  when the party’s counsel visited there for enquiries on Thursday.

‘It will shock members of the public to the marrow to state that, apart from the fact that the OSSIEC has not made available to the party its Guidelines for the Elections, several efforts to obtain the Guidelines had suffered huge frustration from the Barr Hashim-led OSSIEC.

To ensure full compliance with the Regulations of the elections, on July 31st, 2024, the APC caused a formal request for certified true copy of the Guidelines from the Commission but surprisingly, the Commission rejected the request and directed that a new application be made because the heading of the request letter was, ‘Planned Elections for 2025’.

Another effort was hurriedly made within 10 minutes and a new letter was brought carrying the heading as demanded by the OSSIEC but it was very disturbing that the OSSIEC, like in this manner, closed the Secretariat at about 3:25pm and the staff ran away.

For about two days after, the OSSIEC did not open its office.

Having waited in vain, the APC caused the letter to be dispatched through Courier Service on 9th August, 2024 via Shipment No. 8222365001. The dispatch was done at the Secretariat and the OSSIEC refused to acknowledge its receipt.

The APC then did another request letter by itself and up till this moment, the Hashim-led OSSIEC has not released the Guidelines.

This may be taken as a justification for the transfer of Barr Hashim by the PDP and Governor Ademola Adeleke administration from his position as  the governor’s Special Adviser  to the OSSIEC as its chairman?

With this questionable and suspicious conduct of Barr Hashim-led OSSIEC, does anyone need to hesitate before submitting that the electoral body is compromised and not capable of conducting a free, fair and credible election?

We shall employ all constitutionally acceptable means to ensure that the candidates of our party are not victimized by a pungently compromised electoral body that is not acting in tandem with its supposed independent attribute.

Part of the reasons why we smell a rat about the independent nature of the Hashim-led OSSIEC is not limited to facts stated above’ the statement added-Team@orientactualmags.com  Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com.  Thank you