SEGUN AYINDE, ABEOKUTA
New Nigeria Peoples Party has sounded a note of warning to the Chairman of Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission, Mr. Babatunde Osibodu, not to rig the July 24 Local Government Election in the state.
NNPP state Chairman, Comrade Olaposi Oginni, who gave this warning in Abeokuta, the state capital, said any attempt by Osibodu to rig the election in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress would be vehemently resisted and would become his Waterloo.
Oginni stressed that the OGSIEC chairman would regret any action to rig the council poll because the opposition parties were fully prepared to take over the reins of governance in some of the 20 Local Government Areas of the state, unlike in the past when they allowed the ruling party to take everything.
The NNPP state chairman also faulted the amount charged chairmanship and councilorship contestants as nomination fee by OGSIEC, insisting that such exorbitant fees were illegal.
He quoted the judgment of Justice Soremi in 2004 on the fee, which stated that ”no power was given to OGSIEC or any independent electoral commission of any state to collect money or even concerning their guidelines whatsoever’. So the fee is illegal.”
The party chairman said that OGSIEC lacked the power and authority to collect money from any candidate, accusing the Governor Dapo Abiodun- led administration of trying to generate revenues from the nomination fees collected from the candidates of the various political parties.
He also stated that the crisis brewing in the ruling APC over the forthcoming council election in the state was long expected, adding that it was unwise for the party to have allowed more than five people from the same local government council to contest for the same seat.
Ogini said, “We are warning the OGSIEC not to rig the LG election. If they try it, they will regret it. If Osibodu try it, he will regret it. The nomination fees they are telling people to pay are illegal fees because it’s against the constitution of Nigeria.
“So, they are going to regret it because they will see the true mirror. Opposition parties have not been contesting with the incumbent. We leave it for them but we are ready to contest with them now.
“OGSIEC is already a revenue collector. Democracy in Ogun State should not be put to shame. OGSIEC is not working for democracy because it’s not based on whether you are rich or poor, it’s on your right.
Oginni added, “The crisis in APC is highly expected. APC is having this crisis and will never survive it. There is a Yoruba adage that says ‘you don’t bring two rams to drink from the same pot.’ This is what Dapo Abiodun-led administration is doing; that is why things are falling apart in their party.”
He, however, said that NNPP remain the party to beat if there is a free and fair local government election in the state.