AMILOADED MEDIA HUB NEWS UPDATE
A group, The Osun Renaissance Project (TORP), has expressed worry over the actions of political parties’ stakeholders ahead of the February 22, 2024, Local Government election in Osun State.
The TORP said there have been hot accusations and counter-accusations capable of degenerating into a full breakdown of law and order ahead of the election.
The group said this in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Olalekan Fagbemi, on Thursday.
It stated, “It is disheartening to note that the processes being put in place ahead of the LG election in the PDP, are raising needless dust that if not curbed on time, can degenerate into a breakdown of law and order. We have noted with dismay, the rumoured imposition of candidates across the Local Governments, leading to stubborn resistance by members of the PDP.
“We are aware of concerns in Local Governments like Ife East, where a Chairmanship aspirant is alleging threats to his life; we are aware of concerns across a number of other Local Governments too, including Irepodun, Boripe, Osogbo, Ejigbo, and a host of others. These allegations and counter-allegations point to a more worrisome possibility.
“If the ruling PDP is having such heated internal wranglings ahead of the election, questions arise about the possibility of free, fair, and credible LG election in 2025.
“If the party in power cannot put its house in order, and ensure a level playing ground for all aspirants, we have worries about its sincerity and capacity to midwife a credible Local Government election.
It is thus pertinent to appeal to the powers that be, both in the PDP-led Osun State Government and Osun PDP as a party, to ensure fairness and equity in both the conduct of their intra-party affairs ahead of the LG election, and the election itself.”
The TORP further urged the Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), Hashim Abioye, to ensure that the Local Government election is free, fair, and credible, saying, “He must realize that the election is an opportunity for him to prove to us all, that his membership of the PDP before undertaking this task, will not interfere with the honourable and fair execution of his duties as head of the important Commission.”
On the Supreme Court judgement on local government autonomy, the TORP described the alleged ongoing imposition of candidates for local government election as a plan to control the LGs through the backdoor.
It said, “There are insinuations in several quarters that Governors are attempting to impose LG Chairmen who would remain loyal and return allocations paid directly to the LG coffers to the purse of the State Governments.
“These insinuations are looking like possibilities already, even in Osun State. The reported attempts to impose Chairmen across the 30 LGs appears like a coordinated effort to install cronies who will deliberately sabotage LG autonomy by willingly returning LG resources to the State’s purse.
“We cringe to imagine this possibility and we advise, based on the promises that Governor Adeleke made during his governorship campaign, that the Osun State Government ensures that our Local Governments are allowed to be fully autonomous and able to discharge good governance to their people.”
Speaking on food security, the group called on the Osun State Government to show greater commitment to agriculture and food production by making higher budgetary provisions for the sector.
“We cannot continue to pay lip service to issues of food production and expect a turn around in our food sector,” it stressed.
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