Osun: IPAC resists appointment of PDP card-carrying as OSIEC Chairman
By Ismail Azeez, Osogbo
The inter-party Advisory Council (IPAC), Osun State, has vowed to work with the indigenes of the state against the appointment of a card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Barrister Hashim Abioye, as Chairman of Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC).
Recall that the appointment of OSIEC Chairman, Barrister Hashim Abioye, who is also a Senior Special Adviser to the Osun State Governor has witnessed numbers of criticism from opposition parties, groups, and Civil Societies Organisations in the state.
The IPAC Secretary, Tosin Odeyemi, said they reject the appointment of a member of the ruling party to conduct local government elections in the state.
Odeyemi who doubles as the chairman of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Osun State disclosed this over the weekend saying, “Governor cannot appoint a card-carrying member of his party to come and conduct an election that will not be biased.”
He noted that IPAC will not participate in the local government future election if the appointment of the new OSIEC chairman is not reversed.
According to him, “To Osun state Governor on behalf of the populace we have been arguing this about the OSIEC Chairman, Barrister Hashim Abioye that has been appointed. I want to believe that something will still be done because we are not in agreement except if PDP and one other would go to the field and contest to win themselves in the election.
“But, if they are waiting for us to go to court to use as a tactic to delay and have their men at the helm of affairs, saying there is a court case they won’t conduct the election we will not go to court.
“We are going to work with our people who are party members, and the Osun indigenes who will agree with us that truly they cannot bring a card-carrying member of PDP to come and conduct an election that will not be biased.
Meanwhile, he also added, ”I want to pass a message to the President of Nigeria, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu to please let justice prevail in Kano state.
“I’m speaking as the chairman of all the states chairman of NNPP in Nigeria, I’m speaking because I have a mandate of all the states to say this, we want Justice in Kano state, we don’t want any interference, we can all see the mess.
“The judiciary is the last hope of the common man, I want to believe that the President should be allowed peace to reign because if anything happens otherwise we can not preempt what can happen.”
Meanwhile, the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CDHR), Osun State branch expressed readiness to partner with all political parties in the state who are set to agitate for the appointment of a credible personality who will be fair and unbiased in the performance of its duties.
Human Rights group, in a statement by its State Chairman, Comrade Olowu Emmanuel, urged IPAC to address this matter promptly for the sake of democracy by mobilising its members to advocate for the removal of Barrister Hashim Abioye.
He emphasised the need for a truly impartial and non-partisan figure, who will fulfill all just requirements to lead OSIEC.
He said, “We are writing to bring to your attention the grave concerns surrounding the recent appointment of Barrister Hashim Abioye as the Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) which the Osun State Government went ahead with, despite your rejection of the process through a statement jointly signed by you and your secretary on Thursday 10th of November 2023.
“In line with our mandate to campaign for the social rights of the Nigerian people, we want to inform you that the actions of the Osun State Government and your inability to take further action to stop the process of the appointment of a card-carrying member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who also holds the position of a Senior Special Adviser to the Osun State Governor is an aberration to the advancement of governance at the local government level, which must not be allowed to stand if truly all political parties that form your body are set to see Nigeria’s democracy wax stronger, the dual affiliation of BARRISTER HASHIM ABIOYE raises serious questions about his ability to uphold the principles of impartiality and transparency as the head of OSIEC for he holds the mandate to organized local Government election in the state.
“The implications of such an appointment will have a detrimental effect on the credibility of the performance of OSIEC because it has been clear that HASHIM was appointed to represent the interests of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and not to advance the democratic process in Osun State.
“We want you to know that the acceptance of such an appointment is an indication that all political parties in the state have submitted to the ideology of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and an expression that all other political parties have agreed to one party system in the state
“Moreover, the advancement of a democratic process is based on the level at which the opposition can positively criticise the governance process with a mission to take over the leadership of a state and a vision to govern the state based on the ideology of their political party, it will therefore be heretical that political parties under your body could have submitted their ideology to the ruling party by simply accepting the appointment of HASHIM, which all indication points to the fact that he is appointed to work for the PDP,” the statement added.
