LG poll: OSIEC Chair charges political parties to register presence at grassroots

By Ismail Azeez, Osogbo 

Ahead of February 2025, the Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSEIC), Ashim Abioye has charged all the political parties to mobilise at the ward level to prevent big parties from dominating the local government election.

The chairman made the charge on Monday, said local government elections should be an opportunity for smaller political parties to shine, given their closeness to the grassroots.

Abioye stated that the commission has launched an awareness campaign to encourage massive turnout in forthcoming elections in the state.

He urged them to create awareness and register their presence in different local governments and wards to achieve expected results.

Abioye disclosed that OSSEIC has partnered with different Security agencies, Anti-corruption agency, transport union, trade union and other stakeholders to have a free fair credible and well acceptable election.

According to him, “All the political parties should create awareness for their parties in different local governments and wards to have expected results.

“If any other electoral body neither at the federal government is established today to take the responsibility to conduct the local government election the result will still be the same, unless the orientation change people must be ready to participate in the election to have expected results.

“We have series of engagement with the Inter Party advisory Council (IPAC) Osun state chapter, we have a good relationship with them and one of my subjection to them is that Local government elections are supposed to elections at which other political parties should be dominated not the big giant, not the gladiators that we already know.  Its closest to the grassroots, it is supposed to be an election where other political parties will test their popularity,” he added.