LP withdraws from Osun LG election

The Osun State chapter of the Labour Party (LP) has announced its withdrawal from Saturday’s local government election in the state.

The Osun LP Chairman, Adebayo Bello, announced this while speaking with newsmen in Osogbo, the state capital, on Friday, February 21, 2025.

Bello said the party was withdrawing from the election due to lack of adequate security arrangement by the State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) for the peaceful conduct of the poll.

He, however, called for the postponement of the election for one or two months, to enable OSSIEC to adequately prepare for the poll.

Bello said the postponement would also afford the electoral umpire to resolve the legal issues surrounding the conduct of the election.

Also speaking, the party’s chairmanship candidate in the state, Oyebode Babalola, said the LP would not participate in the election over security concern.

Babalola, who noted that the party was not too sure of the security arrangement for the election, called for the postponement of the election.

He said: “Although, we are ready for the election, but we are not going to participate, due to security concern.

“We have seen some traces that the election might be disrupted tomorrow and we are not ready to put the lives of our people in jeopardy.”

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Babalola also berated OSSIEC for shoddy preparations for the conduct of the election.

According to him, before the party decided to withdraw from the election, the electoral  commission was contacted for accreditation tags for its agents, but was not provided.

Similarly, the Chairman of Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Adewale Adebayo, expressed disappointment over the preparations of OSSIEC for the election.

Adebayo, who stated that the party would not participate in the election, said when he attempted to deliver the withdrawal letter to OSSIEC office on Thursday, no official of the commission was present.

He said: “We want to confirm that we are not participating in the illegal local government election, slated for Saturday.

“We are very disappointed that all OSSIEC staff, including its chairman, have absconded from their headquarters since Wednesday.”

Meanwhile, the OSSIEC office was under lock and key on Friday.

Journalists who went to the commission’s office to collect accreditation tags were turned back by security operatives stationed at the entrance of the office.

One of the security officers at the entrance, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said nobody was allowed to go into the premises since Wednesday.

Efforts to speak with OSSIEC Chairman, Hashim Abioye, proved abortive, as calls put through to his mobile line did not connect.

The Star