The Labour Party (LP) in Osun State has pulled out of the local government election set for Saturday. The party made this announcement on Friday in Osogbo.
Mr. Adebayo Bello, the LP chairman in Osun, said the decision was due to poor security arrangements by the State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC). He asked OSSIEC to postpone the election for one or two months to allow better preparations.
Mr. Oyebode Babalola, the LP’s chairmanship candidate, also confirmed the withdrawal. He said the party was not confident in the security of the election. He warned that there could be disruptions, and the party wanted to ensure people’s safety.
Babalola criticized OSSIEC for its lack of preparation. He said the party’s agents had not received accreditation tags, even though they had contacted the commission several times.
The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) also shared similar concerns. Its chairman, Adewale Adebayo, said his party would not participate in the election.
He added that OSSIEC officials were missing when he went to submit APM’s withdrawal letter. He also claimed that OSSIEC staff had been absent from their office since Wednesday.
On Friday, journalists who went to collect accreditation tags found the OSSIEC office locked. Security officers at the gate told them no one had been allowed inside since Wednesday.
Attempts to reach OSSIEC Chairman Hashim Abioye for comments were unsuccessful, as he did not answer phone calls.
With these issues, concerns continue to grow over the credibility and security of the election.
