Stakeholders in the planned local government election in Oyo state have questioned the readiness of the state Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) to conduct a credible election.
These stakeholders who were convened for a meeting by OYSIEC, held at House of Chiefs, State Secretariat, Ibadan, on Wednesday, pointed to the electoral body’s failure to be clear about delineation of wards, non-disclosure of number of councillorship positions to be vied for and complications in boundaries arising from the creation of local council development areas from the existing local government areas.
Especially, the various stakeholders decried that the Chairman of OYSIEC, Mr Jide Ajeigbe failed to provide detailed responses to their concerns, hence hindering them from effectively preparing for the election.
According to Public Relations Officer, Inter-party Advisory Committee (IPAC), Oyo state, Mr Olusegun Ogungbayi, several pointers indicated that the commission was not ready for the election.
“We want to know delimitation of constituencies, and the date that the delineation of constituencies will be made known. We don’t know how you will marry the delineation with the election timetable that was released.
“The Chairman continues to give assurances that all issues will be addressed but we don’t have details of how they will address the issues. We expect more than we are hearing.
“He has said that from next week, the commission will begin to distribute papers towards delineation and we look forward to that. We want to cooperate with them because it is to the people’s advantage that the election is conducted,” Ogungbayi.
Drawing from the creation of 35 local council development areas in addition to 33 local government areas, Legal Adviser to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Oyo State, Koyejo Oyetunde, asked whether the commission will be inviting the National Boundary Commission to delineate some wards which during the creation of LCDAs fell into the constitutionally recognized local government areas.
“The Chairman was evasive in answering questions on the stance of the commission about the delineation of wards, the number of councillors, the number of Chairmen. In some instances, there are some wards which during the creation of local council development areas fell into another local government.
“That was why I asked whether they will be inviting the National Boundary Commission to delineate those kinds of wards that fell into local government areas established by the constitution. I do not think the commission is not ready for the election,” Koyejo said.
In his own remarks, Secretary, All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Mojeed Olaoya said the electoral body was 60 percent ready to conduct credible elections, urging the commission to cross its Ts and dot it’s Is.
“It’s a normal thing that when the election is coming, there is a need for that constituted body to invite all stakeholders. With the calibre and experience of the OYSIEC Chairman, we expect the electoral body to conduct the election. You should expect divergent views and opinions on the ability of the commission to carry out the election.
“They go to their various local government, OYSIEC department to get the facts they require. As of now, I will score them 60 percent in terms of preparations,” Olaoya said.
Other stakeholders, in their various comments, said their confidence in the commission to deliver a free, fair and credible election, as of now, was at a low ebb, urging the commission to up the ante in terms of its preparations.
Addressing the issues, Chairman, Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC), Mr Jide Ajeigbe said the commission will from next week release documents detailing the delimitation of wards for the election.
He said the commission was impartial, urging all stakeholders to abide by stipulations to ensure a successful election on May 12, 2018.
“Some political parties submitted some names to us during the last primaries before the court injunction. This is another opportunity to fine tune those names within the time frame allotted on the timetable.
“I want to appeal to all the stakeholders to exercise caution such that you do not heat up the system through unsavoury comments but rather give followers the right understanding, sensitization and political education to allow for a free, fair and credible election. While assuring the stakeholders and entire people of Oyo state of our commitment to be an impartial umpire, I wish to appreciate you for your patience, understanding and continuous cooperation.
“All stakeholders should play by the rules of the game to ensure that we have a credible election come Saturday, May 12, 2018,” Ajeigbe said.
