LG poll: Aregbesola declares Thursday, Friday public holidays
Read Time:2 Minute, 35 Second
The Osun State Independent Electoral Commission has said 12 more political parties have withdrawn from the January 27 local government elections in the state.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The OSIEC boss said, “I can reliably tell you that 12 political parties have withdrawn from participating in the election, remaining only six political parties in the race.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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