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| Governor Rauf Aregbesola |
The Osun State Independent Electoral Commission
has said 12 more political parties have withdrawn from the January 27 local
government elections in the state.
The Chairman of OSIEC, Chief Segun Oladitan, who
said this at a press conference in Osogbo on Wednesday, stated that only six
political parties would take part in the exercise which would be conducted in
71 out of the 389 wards in the state.
The OSIEC said this just as Governor Rauf
Aregbesola announced that Thursday and Friday had been declared as public
holidays to allow the people of the state to prepare for the election.
The governor made the announcement in a statement
by his Media Aide, Mr. Sola Fasure, on Wednesday.
The OSIEC boss said, “I can reliably tell you
that 12 political parties have withdrawn from participating in the election,
remaining only six political parties in the race.
“Of all the candidates representing the
participating political parties in the 389 wards across the state, 318
councillorship candidates in 318 wards have been presented unopposed
representing the candidates who satisfied the requirements of the law with
reference to Section 41 of the Electoral Act (2011) as amended. Therefore,
there shall be elections in only 71 wards of the state.”
Meanwhile, a human rights lawyer, Mr. Kanmi
Ajibola, has berated the Osun State Government for hurriedly declaring Thursday
and Friday as public holidays, saying it was a deliberate move to stall the
continuation of the ongoing court proceedings already fixed for Thursday.
Ajibola, who is also the Chairman, Nigerian Bar
Association, Ilesa Branch, said Justice Kola Adegoke had, during the last
sitting, directed that he would hear the application for injunction seeking a
restraining order from the court against the conduct of the election, the
preliminary objection filed by the defendants challenging the jurisdiction and
all other pending motions.
The lawyer said it was strange that the governor
could declare two days as public holidays for the LG poll when just one day was
usually declared for even governorship poll.
Ajibola said, “This is quite unfortunate. This is
a coward act by Mr. Rauf Aregbesola and his government. We were still in the
court premises on Tuesday when government lawyers were boasting that they would
inform the governor to declare Thursday and Friday as public holidays so as to
halt this process.
“I thought it was a joke that two days will be
declared as holidays for a local government election. Even when the
governorship election was conducted, only one day was declared as holiday.
Anyway, no matter the tactics, this LG election will not stand.
“I suspect a foul play. I suspect high level of
corruption somehow. I suspect some people are insisting in going ahead with
this election which they know cannot be upheld by any court in Nigeria to line
their pockets with the proceeds of the polls. If not, why the desperation and
the hurry? But we shall get there at the appropriate time.”
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