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The Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) on Friday announced that the local government elections in the state will hold February 11, 2017, finally removing stakeholders’ expectations that the polls would hold before the end of 2016 as had been promised by Governor Abiola Ajimobi.
Reacting to the new date, the Publicity Secretary of Social Democratic Party(SDP) in the state, Alhaji Akeem Azeez has urged the state government and OYSIEC commissioner to be real, consistent and democratic in line with the new date fixed.
Azeez lamented that the state government failed to fulfil her promises to conduct local government election, in the first quarter of this year and later by September this year.
He opined that this was the last opportunity for APC led Government in the state to redeem itself by not only conducting the election on the announced date but also ensuring that it was free and fair.
He described all Local government elections conducted so far by the states appointed electoral commissions in Nigeria as charade that were taken too far as they negated basic democratic norms and principles.
“Is it not curious and suspect that rulling parties are declared winners in all local government areas of the various state affected”, he asked rhetorically.
Alhaji Akeem Azeez urge members of the public to be vigilant during and after the election, assuring that the SDP will participate in the forthcoming election in Oyo state.