Osun: Forum of LP candidates calls for postponement of Saturday’s LG election

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo

The Forum of Labour Party (LP) candidates in Osun State has urged the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) to postpone the local government election scheduled for Saturday.

During a press conference in Osogbo on Friday, the chairman of the forum, Barrister Oyebode Babalola, expressed concerns about the safety of their members and agents during the election.

Babalola, who is the Labour Party’s chairmanship candidate in Osogbo, emphasized that the party does not want to endanger the lives of its supporters with only hours remaining before the elections.

He also cited a lack of communication from the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), stating that the party attempted to collect tags for their agents at the OSSIEC office but was left waiting without assistance.

He said:

“As we all know, the election is scheduled for tomorrow, and we have prepared for it. In fact, we are in high spirits. However, recent developments have made us reconsider our participation. We are aware of the crisis in local government secretariats. Despite this, we still want to participate, but we have noticed indications that the election might be disrupted, and lives may be at risk. We do not want to put our supporters in jeopardy, as we are concerned about security tomorrow.”

“Even today, we were at the OSSIEC office until 4 p.m. to collect tags for our party agents, but there was nobody available to attend to us. We called an OSSIEC staff member multiple times, and he kept telling us to wait until 4 p.m. We are calling for the election to be postponed, not canceled, so that the crisis at the local government level can be resolved. Given the current situation, we cannot in good conscience ask our supporters to come out and vote, putting their lives at risk just because we want to win an election.”

Also speaking, the Labour Party chairman in the state, Comrade Adebayo Bello, stated that:

“This is the decision of our chairmanship candidates because they are the ones investing the most in this election.”

“Furthermore, the lives of the people, especially party agents, are at risk. That is why they are advising the government and OSSIEC, as the electoral umpire, to shift the election by one or two months to resolve the lingering legal crisis.”