The Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, OSSIEC, has revealed that the February 22, 2025, local government election in the state will be held only in the constitutionally recognised local government council areas.
The commission also warned that the date of the local government poll remained sacrosanct notwithstanding the amendment to the original notice.
The OSSIEC Chairman, Barrister Hashim Abioye, made this known to journalists on Friday.
He debunked the news making the rounds that Osun is one of the states reported to have been rushing to conduct local government elections due to the local government autonomy judgement declared by the Supreme Court as against the notice already published by the OSSIEC since February 19, 2024.
“As far as OSSIEC and the February 22, 2025 local government election process is concerned, the news is reckless and baseless.”
Abioye said the meeting became necessary due to the fact that OSSIEC was amending the the notice of local government elections and also adjusting the timetable and schedule of activities regarding the forthcoming local government elections in the state.
According to Abioye, “After the deliberations of the Commission, where the legitimacy of conducting elections into the LCDAs and Administrative Offices was discussed, as such safely resolved to amend the initial notice of elections to the effect that elections shall now be held into only the constitutionally recognised Local Government Council Areas of Osun State, with a caution that 22nd February, 2025 date remains sacrosanct notwithstanding the amendment to the original notice.
“The present amendment dates back to and relates to the original notice, there is no change in the February, 2025 date earlier given for holding the elections.”
He noted that the Commission has also considered the agitations from some stakeholders, especially the Osun State Inter-party Advisory Council, IPAC, and as such, resolved to adjust the timetable and schedule of activities for the election to give more time for political parties to conduct their primaries so as to guarantee more inclusive participation in the polls.
The OSSIEC boss added that he has written to the leadership of IPAC to this effect.
According to report on Monday, the state chapter of the Inter Party Advisory Council, IPAC, announced that it was boycotting the forthcoming poll.
Osun IPAC based their decision on allegations that the OSSIEC Chairman, Hashim Abioye, was not engaging their stakeholders and carrying the 16 political parties that constituted the council along in its plans for the LG poll.
However, the next day, Tuesday, the Osun IPAC, led by its chairman, Victor Akande, backtracked on the boycott threat, revealing that the Commission and its chairman were not ready to carry IPAC along and engage their stakeholders.
