By Jeleel Olawale
The Chairman of Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), Hashim Abioye Esq., has declared the intention of the Commission under his leadership to issue regulations for eligibility to contest local council elections as well as the Commission’s readiness to appoint Electoral Officers, Assistant Electoral Officers and other staff of the Commission ahead of Osun local council elections scheduled for February, 2025.
A statement signed by Press Secretary, Yemi Badru, to OSSIEC Chairman, Hashim Abioye hinted that in line with the timetable/schedule of activities towards the conduct of Osun local council elections earlier released in February this year, the time for political parties to conduct their primaries is around the corner.
Hence, the need to issue eligibility regulations to guide participating political parties in fielding qualified candidates for the elections, as any unqualified candidate fielded by any political party will not find his/her way to the ballots as the Screening Committee of the Commission will be readily on ground to address any eligibility issue.
In the exact words of the Chairman, he maintained that “having earlier given notice of Osun local council election in line with the dictate of the law, and having issued timetable/schedule of activities for the conduct of local council elections in Osun State, the time is ripe to issue regulations so as to guide participating political parties in the choice of candidates for the election.
“This is within the jurisdictional compass of the Commission. As we all know, there are three categories of politicians who may wish to contest on the platforms of their respective political parties.
“We have private citizens, government employees and government appointees. While the constitution stipulates 30 days before the election for an employee in the service of any tier of government willing to contest an election to resign his/her employment, a political appointee at any level doesn’t enjoy such a latitude as he/she must resign within the time as may be stipulated by the electoral body. This does not concern a private individual who is not a government employee or appointee.
“Other regulatory issues and eligibility criteria include schedule of fees for nomination forms, change/substitution of candidates, campaign modalities, meetings, etc. All these will be contained in the regulations that will be issued soon.”
In the same vein, appointment of Electoral Officers, Assistant Electoral Officers and other staff of the Commission will be announced within the next few days.
As disclosed by the Chairman, “appointment of Electoral Officers for the local council areas is sacrosanct. They will be the eyes, ears and body of the Commission in implementing the programs and activities of the Commission in each of the local council areas.”