Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) on Thursday said it was targeting a 50 percent turnout of voters in the April 27 Local Government Elections in the state.
OYSIEC Chairman, Mr Isiaka Olagunju, while appearing on the Oyo State Correspondents Chapel’s Guest Platform tagged “Speak Out” in Ibadan, said this would be a big step forward.
Olagunju, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said the commission was hoping to improve on the last local government election of 2021, when it recorded 29.6 percent turnout of voters.
He called on citizens to be more concerned with elections at the local government level, being the closest to the grassroots, in order to really enjoy the dividends of democracy.
“The local government elections are more important than the general elections because you can always see the chairmen and hold them responsible and accountable.
“You must be concerned with the LG elections. We need to move from the 29.6 percent of voters turnout in 2021 to 50 percent in the LG elections,” Olagunju said.
The OYSIEC chairman said the commission would continue to sensitive the electorate to the elections in order to achieve the desired results of high turnout of voters and conduct credible elections.
He said a total of 18 political parties had expressed interest in participating in the forthcoming council polls in the state.
Olagunju assured political parties and the electorate of the commission’s readiness to conduct free, fair and credible elections.
“My team consists of individuals who have names to protect. They have achieved a lot in the society and will not want to tarnish their reputation through the conduct of these elections.
“We are very focused on ensuring we have credible elections without interference from the executive.
“We want to leave a legacy which other states will continue to emulate and I assure the people of the state that we will not be partisan or favor any political party.
“Our mandate is clear and we are going to carry it to the letter,” he assured.
Olagunju said the council polls would be conducted in over 6,000 polling units, while 18,000 ad hoc staff would be participating in the exercise.
He said the commission has been working with relevant security agencies to ensure violence-free elections.
”I urge politicians to always appeal to their supporters to shun violence before, during and after the elections.”
The OYSIEC chairman said the commission would not use electronic transmission of result for now because the state House of Assembly was yet to pass any law regarding it.
Earlier, the Correspondents’ Chapel Chairman, Mr Adebayo Raji, appreciated the OYSIEC chairman for educating and sensitizing the electorate and political parties to the council polls.
He assured the OYSIEC team of adequate dissemination of information to the people of the state.
