The Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission has rescheduled the conduct of the local government elections in the 33 local government areas of the state.
The election, which was earlier scheduled for Saturday, May 15, 2020, will now hold on Saturday, May 22.
This was disclosed by the Chairman, OYSIEC, Mr Isiaka Olagunju, at the flag off of the statewide voter education and mobilisation campaign towards the local government election, organised by the National Orientation Agency, in Ibadan on Wednesday.
He said a one week shift became imperative in view of the discovery that the Ed-el-Fitr celebration and holidays will fall around the previous May 15 date.
He assured that the OYSIEC would be impartial and ensure that only ballots cast would be declared.
Olagunju said the success of the election would be dependent on residents coming out enmasse on the election day.
The event also saw the OYSIEC boss list four other documents, aside from Permanent Voter’s Card, that will be tenable by voters to cast their ballot.
He listed the other acceptable items to vote as Temporary Voters Slip, either drivers licence, national identity card or international passport.
Speaking further, Olagunju said what was imperative was for a person’s name on any of the identification documents to match the name on the voters register, which he said would be displayed across the 33 local government election areas from next week.
He said he had instructed security agencies to arrest people whose names are not on the voters register and present at the polling centres on the day of the election.
In his remarks, Director, NOA, Oyo State, Moshood Olaleye, urged residents of the state to elect those that are truthful, credible and those that have proven themselves to be close to the grassroots.
He charged the stakeholders in the election not to engage in acts that will breach peace and incite violence, adding that the sensitisation campaign by NOA will be statewide.
He also appealed to the residents to be involved in the electoral process and come out enmasse on election day.
Speaking, the Chairman, Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), Mr Fagbemi Adegbenro, urged security agencies not to allow intimidation of voters at polling centres on election day, noting that the one week shift in day of election will afford the political parties more time for campaign.
To prevent clashes among supporters of political parties, he said the IPAC had admonished political parties to ensure that no two parties campaign in the same area on the same day.
Representative of the Department of State Services (DSS), Margaret Ayoola, charged traditional rulers and religious leaders to speak to their subjects to shun any form of violence throughout the electoral process.
Representatives of the Correctional Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, Federal Road Safety Corps and other security agencies urged residents to come out in large numbers to vote so as to prevent the tendency for unpopular candidates to rig the election.
The security agencies also urged the OYSIEC to keep to its word of allowing the people’s votes to count.