Sixteen opposition political parties in Osun State have announced their withdrawal from the forthcoming local government election in the State.

The Osun State Independent Electoral Commission had earlier said the next local government election in the state would be held on February 22, 2025.

Addressing journalists in Osogbo Monday on behalf of the opposition parties, the Osun State chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee, Mr. Victor Akande, accused the OSSIEC chairman, Mr. Hashim Abioye, of deliberately hoarding information about the exercise from the parties.

Akande also alleged that Abioye planned to employ PDP members as electoral officers for the poll, adding that information about the nomination fees for the posts that would be contested for were also not disclosed by Abioye.

He said, “We have reliably gathered that Abioye has perfected plans to use PDP members as Electoral Officers during the election, which we all know what it means.

“His intention is to trap us into conducting our parties’ primary elections without disclosing the amount each party will pay, which will, of course, lead to efforts in futility after announcing an exorbitant fee.

“We expected up-to-date information from Abioye as done by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), but the reverse is the case as we always have information about Osun local government election from PDP e-rats.

“We found it convenient to say that the PDP-led administration in the state is intentionally creating avenues for crisis all over so as to scare our people away from the forthcoming council election, as only a secure mind will have the courage to go out to vote for his/her choice.

“It is on these notes that we resolved, after deliberations with our parties’ members, to BACK OUT of the forthcoming local government election in Osun state.

“Political parties involved in this include Action Alliance, African Democratic Congress, Accord Party, Social Democratic Party, African Action Congress, New Nigeria Peoples Party, Allied Peoples Party and the Peoples Redemption Party.

“Others are the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Zenith Labour Party, Action Democratic Party, Action Peoples Party, Labour Party, Boot Party, National Rescue Movement and Young Peoples Party. We await the credibility of the poll involving only the Peoples Democratic Party.”

Reacting, Abioye dismissed allegations levelled against him, saying he was still consulting stakeholders before fixing the amount to be paid as nomination fees for the post.

Abioye, “It is unfortunate. I have only announced our intention as part of the preparatory arrangement towards the conduct of the election. We are at the verge of appointing electoral officers and assistant electoral officers, we have not even drawn the list.

“We will consult with them, but not that any political party will nominate names for us to appoint as electoral officers and assistant electoral officers.

“So, I don’t know where the allegation is coming from. We are only in the process of appointing electoral officers and assistant electoral officers as part of preparatory arrangement towards the conduct of local government elections.

“I have not mentioned any amount as nomination fees. We have to consult them (political parties) regarding the appointment of electoral officers. We will also consult them regarding fees for nomination forms. We have not arrived at any figure. So all these allegations are unfounded.

“I urge the media men to ask the IPAC chairman, to mention at least two names of those already listed as electoral officers.”