By Funso Alarape
Thursday April 25, 2024
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The Oyo State director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Dr. Olukemi Afolayan, has disclosed that all political parties and stakeholders are fully ready for Saturday local government election in the state.
Dr. Afolayan said the level of preparedness of the contesting political parties, stakeholders and law enforcement agencies were so impressive to give assurance of a successful local government election that would be devoid of violence, illegalities and rigging.
She added that the development would further place “our valued electoral system in good light, even within the international communities.”
“All the party candidates have widely campaigned with their various manifestos and why they are the better candidates, as the constitution demands, across their different wards and local governments,” she said.
She added that “he preparedness of the political parties contesting this coming election cannot be underestimated, as it is also a testament of the credibility of the system that has paved the way for more party participation in the elections; this is better than the previous local government elections.”
The NOA state director explained that the political parties also possessed “an undiluted belief” in the integrity of the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC), adding that this formed one of the reasons for the high turnout of political parties ahead of the election.
“The political parties strongly believe in the integrity of the OYSIEC; that is why we are having more active party participation in the election, especially when compared to the last election.
“The local government is now more competitive, unlike we used to have in the past, when it is only a few candidates that would be contesting in the election.
“However, this time, we now experience more parties actively involved in the race to the local government offices available,” she said.
Dr. Afolayan also took the time to inform about the efforts of the NOA and other agencies to oversee a smooth election with the agency’s many sensitisation outreach on the importance of local government system of governance.
“We have sensitised the people on the importance of the local government system and the numerous benefits of having a functional local government authority in place, like the community healthcare benefits and better road infrastructure and lots more within the respective local governments.
“We have also sensitised the people that Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) will be used for voting at our respective polling units; those without PVCs are not eligible to vote.
“The law enforcement agencies are also available, well trained to disarm and make arrest of erring offenders who may want to disrupt the voting system in various units,” she said, while also asking the electorate to feel free to report anything going awry to them (security).
Shun violence
Meanwhile, the NOA director has implored the electorate to shun violence and be law-abiding during next Saturday’s local government election.
She stated that law enforcement agencies would be stationed in every polling unit to maintain peace and order during the exercise.
Dr. Afolayan, while featuring on ‘Kutuhai,’ a Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS ) Television programme, also appealed to the people to ensure they have their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ready to be eligible to vote, adding that they should arrive at the voting centres early enough and stay to exercise their civic rights.
While commenting on the preparation of the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) for the election, Dr. Afolayan poured encomiums on the electoral body under the leadership of Aare Isiaka Olagunju for creating a level playing ground for all the political parties without any preferential treatment. The NOA director stated that the trust and confidence that opposition parties had in OYSIEC motivated their participation in the election.
She noted that the peaceful campaigns devoid of rancour in every ward and the local government bode well for the coming election.
Dr. Afolayan called on eligible voters to turn out in large number to vote for the candidates of their choice without any hindrance.
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