Yes or No Election: Osun APC Chasing Clout, Wasted N2bn On Nullified Poll – Abioye

- Says OSSIEC Under Oyetola Unappealing
- Assures Osun People Of Credible LG Elections
The Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), Barrister Hashim Abioye, has disclosed that the commission, under the immediate past administration, spent close to N2 billion for the nullified Yes or No local government election in the state.
This was as he mocked the All Progressive Congress over its continued appeal of the decision of the Federal High Court to nullify and sack the members of the party who emerged winners of the Yes or No election.
Abioye, who spoke on this week’s edition of OSUN DEFENDER Twitter space, said the APC is confused and does not know what it really wants.
The OSSIEC boss said apart from wasting almost N2 billion on the nullified election, the commission under the past administration was also nothing to write home about.
He added that the immediate past leadership of the commission also erred and violated its own law during the conduct of the last LG election.
He said, When I was nominated, I initially declined, but the Governor said the report he got about OSSIEC was that there had been a waste of resources and that the elections conducted by the commission in past years had come under the red pen of the court, and he doesn’t want that again. That was why I accepted the role.
“People should be questioning the past management of OSSIEC because they violated their own law. The new law enacted during Oyetola’s administration says a notice of election must be given 365 days before the election, but they gave a notice of election for two months and wasted close to over 2 billion naira within two months. We did not meet a single laptop in the office. No printer. We had to do a lot of these things and put things in proper shape. OSSIEC, of now, is different from the past.
Speaking on the appeal of the APC on the nullification of the Yes or No election, Abioye said the party was chasing clout and will lose out eventually.
The OSSIEC boss also said there was no law stopping him from heading the commission.
According to him, “The constitution does not state that you must not have been a member of a political party to be the chairman of a state electoral body. So, why is my own different? The reason was that in 2022, I was the one who led the legal team for the Peoples Democratic Party and the APP in the suit that nullified the Yes or No election that the past administration conducted. What these people have been doing is just bitterness and sentiment.
“The suit filed by the PDP was filed before the notice of election was given by OSSIEC and before the enactment of the new Osun State Independent Electoral Commission Law 2022. That was the contention, and at that time, no political party was a party to that case. It was only a suit between the PDP, the independent national electoral commission, and the Osun State independent electoral commission. INEC was involved in that case because it has the responsibility of producing, keeping, and updating the voter register.
“However, despite the pendency of the suit in court, barely two weeks after the suit was instituted, OSSIEC then gave notice of election, and the state house of assembly enacted a new law for the commission.
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“The All Progressives Congress was the only political party that participated in that election, that was why OSSIEC then resorted to the ‘pool betting’ ballot specimen that people referred to as Yes or No election. So, it was after the election that the APC joined the suit.
“The APP suit was filed after the notice of election had been given and the Osun State House of Assembly had enacted the new law. Now, the federal high court sacked the purportedly elected APC members in both suits, and they appealed both.
“However, as they were pursuing the appeal of the PDP, they abandoned that of the APP. They did not file any documents for two years, and the Appeal court dismissed their appeal. That means the judgment of the Federal High Court nullifying the election and sacking the officials remains valid. So, no matter the outcome of the other appeal, the one that had already been dismissed is a hook on the neck of whosoever wants to call himself or herself the beneficiary.”
On preparation for the forthcoming local government election, Abioye assured people of the stage that the commission is ready to conduct a free, fair, and credible election.
“The major assignment before us is the conduct of local government elections, and we’ve been doing our best to make sure we have the best election in the history of the state. The commission members and management staff have undergone retreats. We have also appointed electoral officers and assistant electoral officers in each local government. Hardly will you see any local government today without the presence of the OSSIEC office.
“Apart from putting in place some IT facilities, you can attest to some development in digital facilities put in place by OSSIEC. Our recruitment exercise is going online. We have a portal, and we have the website through which we are doing it. As I’m talking to you now, ad-hoc staff recruitment is going online as against the physical application.
“If we are to go through with the physical application, you know what that could mean during this era? We can’t afford any stampede, and in order not to subject people to unnecessary costs, it is strictly online. In due time we will announce the successful applicants, and in a short while, we will do the shortlisting and announce the successful applicants. Apart from that, the commission members had undergone retreat, seminars two levels at that and we have appointed Electoral officers, Assistant Electoral officers in each local government”, he said.
On the case filed by the APC on the forthcoming local government election, Abioye said,
“The APC and its candidate are confused. They went to the court to ask to be put on the ballot and, at the same time, ask the court to nullify the process of the upcoming election. You can see that they are confused and don’t know what they really want. Litigations are normal, and as they come, we have been tracking them and winning, and we will continue to win,” Abioye stated further.

Kazeem Badmus is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience. A professional in journalism and media writing, Kazeem prioritses accuracy and factual reportage of issues. He is also a dexterous finder of the truth with conscious delivery of unbiased and development oriented stories.