BY TIMOTHY AGBOR
The Chairman of Inter Party Advisory Council in Osun State, Wale Adebayo has issued a stern warning to political parties in the state not to forward their details to Osun State Independent Electoral Commission.
OSSIEC chairman, Hashim Abioye had on Tuesday issued a guideline to political parties asking them to furnish the commission with the details of their political parties.
But, in a statement jointly issued by the Chairman of the council, Wale Adebayo and Secretary, Tosin Odeyemi in Osogbo on Wednesday, it was alleged that the OSSIEC Chairman erred in his demand for the details of political parties that he has not formally met nor discussed with.
“The OSSIEC Chairman should have, first and foremost, gone through the proper channels and followed the correct procedures before making the request,” IPAC noted.
The council berated the chairman of the commission saying he was grossly incompetent and lacked official courtesy.
“His asking for release of electoral guidelines through newspaper publications in addition to his request for details of our national chairmen for a local election, is not only insulting, but also a clear indication that he lacks capacity to conduct a credible election.
“The chairman hasn’t called for a meeting to familiarize himself with chieftains and stakeholders of each political parties and the first he will do is to ask through advertorial for submission of details concerning their individual political parties,” the council said.
According to IPAC, OSIEC has no jurisdiction to ask for particulars of political party, adding that there should be a stakeholders meeting between the Chairman and political parties.
The council advised the chairman to urgently take a crash course in leadership
“Leadership of a political structure requires learning. He should go and learn. Even in a military government, there are still consultations, this is democracy for crying out loud.
“We see him as a political neophyte who doesn’t understand the office he was assigned to superintendent.
“Our members have been instructed not to honour the body until the needful has been done,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, OSIEC chairman, Abioye, has cleared the air on the directive issued by the electoral body, to all registered political parties in the state.
It would be recalled that the OSSIEC had, on Tuesday, issued a notice, where it requested every registered political party having presence in Osun State, to, as a matter of urgency, update and or furnish the commission officially with the their details.
According to the release, the details include names of the Party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, physical address and e-mail address (if any) of the Party’s National Headquarters, official mobile contact of the Party’s National Headquarters, names of the Party’s Chairman and Secretary of her Osun State Chapter, physical address and e-mail address (if any) of the Party’s registered office within Osun State and official mobile contact of the Party’s registered office within Osun.
Abioye, while speaking with journalists on Wednesday, said that OSSIEC has the constitutional rights to know the details of all registered political parties in Osun state, for ease of communication and interaction with the electoral commission.
The OSSIEC chairman therefore reiterated the earlier notice that every registered political party is expected to comply with the notice within 7 days, by submitting physically at OSSIEC office, opposite Unity School, Aderin, Old-Ikirun road, Osogbo, or through her e-mail, osunsiec01@gmail.com.
