The Osun Chairman of Allied Peoples Movement (APM) Hon Adewale Adebayo has berated the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) over Saturday’s council poll.
Adebayo declared there was no election anywhere in the state except in Ede, the hometown of Governor Ademola Adeleke.
He said that OSIEC insistence on conducting the poll was to justify allocated money, describing the action as fraud.
According to him: “We experience in Osun State today is not election but lockdown because people refused to participate in the illegal poll except Ede town where only few members of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) voted in some polling units of top political appointees of the governor.
“Our party is vindicated with this exercise of our earlier apprehension that OSIEC can never conduct any meaningful election since its chairman, Hashim Abioye is a card-carrying member of PDP and serves Adeleke as Special Adviser Legal matters and served as PDP caretaker Secretary.”
He continued: “Osun State Government through OSIEC only wasted billions of Naira on shadow election. Our members in Irewole, Isokan, Boripe, Ifelodun, Olorunda, Egbedore, Irepodun and Orolu amongst other places confirmed that elections were not held.
“Infact in Ede that they held illegal election, they claimed they concluded voting by 8:30am, the same Ede that voted till 9PM during the governorship election in 2022.”
He demanded:“Adeleke, Abioye and other members of the cabinets who had runaway from the state should make statewide broadcast to apologise to the resident for imposing lockdown on them.”
But Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye speaking with journalists in his house confirmed that OSIEC held a council election.
He said: “There was massive turnout of voters. I voted in Osogbo Ward 7, Unit 7, the turnout was massive. I believe that people have confidence in OSIEC and Osun State Government.”
