*Insists on transparency
By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
The Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission, (OYSIEC) on Friday alerted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to grant the request of the commission for the use of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
OYSIEC Chairman, Aare Isiaka Olagunju raised the alarm in Ibadan during a chat with the Oyo State Commissioner for information, Prince Dotun Oyelade.
The OYSIEC Chairman pointed out that Oyo State was the first in the country to request for the use of BVAS from INEC for its local government election slated for April 27, 2024.
He stressed that there will be no going back on the commission’s determination towards ensuring transparency as he has assured executive members of Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, during a meeting that all eligible votes will count in the April 27, 2024 local government election.
Aare Olagunju stated that unlike that of 2021 where there was boycott by major political parties, all the 19 registered political parties are participating this time, and that 6,390 polling units are on ground for the local government election.
He stressed further that
38,370 candidates applied for various ad-hoc positions following the application process which run from 31st of January 2024 through 15th February 2024, adding that the minimum qualification for assistant presiding officer in this year’s election is OND or NCE instead of Secondary School Leaving Certification.
Aare Olagunju declared that all applications are currently being reviewed to select competent and credible ad-hoc staff.
“There is a situation room for the election where all issues on the day of election will be looked into; a platform similar to that of INEC Results Viewing, IReV, which provides information to aid election transparency, as results are being uploaded from the polling units’
Speaking further Aare Olagunju charged election managers, political parties, the voters and security agencies to work together with OYSIEC to stand against whoever breaches electoral laws for a credible election, saying.
OYSIEC is in liaison with the security agencies to give maximum cooperation before, during and after the election.
Stressing that although OYSIEC is not eligible to register voters, the INEC voters registration list of May 2023 will be employed for this year’s local government election, he said anyone who has not been registered to vote by INEC will not be able to participate in the local government election as only the National Voter’s Card will qualify voters for this election.
