The conduct of the Local Government Election by the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) has come under heavy criticism from Senator Sharafadeen Alli, who represents the Oyo South Senatorial District. The Senator, who voted in Ward 3 in Ibadan North Local Area, described the electoral process as a sham.
Expressing his disappointment, Senator Alli stated, “What is happening here shows there is no preparedness in the conduct of the election. I will say OYSIEC is out for another game because this is almost 11 o’clock, officers supposed to conduct the election are not here. And this is happening in almost all voting centers in Oyo South Senatorial District.”
Alarmingly, he also revealed that the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Eruwa had been attacked and was lying critically in Awojobi Hospital. Despite these events, Senator Alli urged voters to remain calm and not resort to violence.
In contrast to Senator Alli’s scathing remarks, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Chairmanship Candidate in Oluyole Local Government, Hon. Akeem Olatunji, attributed the delay in delivering electoral materials and the presence of officers to logistical problems that would be resolved soon.
Emphasizing the orderly nature of the process, Hon. Olatunji said, “The officers are going to deliver materials soon; they have started in ward one and some other wards. Everything is going on orderly and there is no violence. The reason is, Gov. Makinde did his assignment well by choosing capable people. We have the best candidates from PDP compared to other political parties and we are, therefore, confident of victory in the local election.”
Speaking with journalists, Hon. Adedeji Stanley Olajide, also known as Odidiomo, who represents the Ibadan North West/South West Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, encouraged voters to turn out en masse for the local government election.
Concerned about the initially low turnout, Hon. Olajide stated, “I have gone around and I saw a low turn out of voters, but people started coming out around 10 am. I want to encourage voters to take the local government election seriously. The zeal and enthusiasm are not like when we conducted the presidential election last year. Local government election is the bedrock of development in Nigeria. If we want good governance, we must come out to cast our votes. So far, I have not heard any fracas; the exercise is peaceful even in the areas considered as black spots. There are some people voting APC here, but we are confident that PDP will win.”
Adding to the conversation, Dr. Nureni Adeniran, the Chairman, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) in Oyo State, commended the smooth running of the electoral process in his local government.
Dr. Adeniran, who voted in Ward 7, Unit 10 in Ibadan South West Local Government Area, expressed his satisfaction, saying, “The council election is going on smoothly in all the units in South West Local Government. This is our family compound. We are doing it as a family affair despite having other candidates from other political parties in the area. I want to commend OYSIEC for the peaceful conduct of the election in a proper way. The election is conducted in a proper way and you can see the peaceful atmosphere.”
