The Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) in Oyo State, Hon. Abass Alesinloye has called on political parties and candidates to shun the proposed local government election by the state’s Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC).
The embattled chairman also admonished the chairman of the commission, Isiaka Olagunju, SAN to stop the election processes.
Alesinloye, while briefing newsmen in Ibadan on Monday on OYSIEC’s activities, he described the decision of the commission to go ahead with election process while parties are awaiting the judgement of the Supreme Court as illegal, wasteful and unnecessary.
According to the Chairman, “the Supreme Court of Nigeria has fixed May 7, 2021 for judgement on the protracted case of illegal dissolution of elected local government administration in Oyo State by Governor Seyi Makinde. While parties to the suit are expected to await the judgement for final closure since the Supreme Court is the apex court, it is surprising to see that Oyo Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC), a party to the suit and well presented at the Supreme Court, prompted by Governor Seyi Makinde, went ahead to publish a timetable for local government elections which intend to conduct on May 15, 2021, eight days after the expected Supreme Court judgement on May 7.”
While expressing confidence in the integrity of the Supreme Court, Alesinloye alleged that Oyo State government in collaboration with OYSIEC have perfected plans to buy off the judgement in their favour.
His words, “Governor Makinde may have perfected way to buy off the judgement as being boasted by his political acolytes and street boys. But this may be very difficult for him to achieve because of the integrity of the bench and their precedent judgements on similar cases like ours.”
The ALGON Chairman described the proposed local government elections by OYSIEC as a way of exploiting political parties and candidates who will be investing their hard-earned money that may never hold.
“It may be an organized OYSIEC come and contest election scam, an election advance fee fraud where many unsuspecting candidates will be encouraged to invest in election that may never hold,” he said.
Alesinloye expressed that ALGON and All Progressive Congress (APC) in Oyo State are not ready to participate in any scam election by the OYSIEC. He, therefore charged political parties and candidates to shun OYSIEC’s appeal to participate in the proposed election.
“We advise political parties and candidates not to invest in OYSIEC Electoral market process which will lead to nowhere if ALGON wins at the Supreme Court on May 7, 2021. Don’t be scammed. After May 7 judgement, the political climate will be cleared to all and sundry.
“On this point, we call on OYSIEC to stop the process of its scammed election; it’s illegal, wasteful and unnecessary,” Alesinloye stated.
Packaged by Kunle Gazali
