Ogun LG polls, a charade -LP, calls for cancellation

By Adeniyi Adedoyin 

The Ogun State chapter of the Labour Party (LP) has described the Saturday's local government election in the State as a charade.

Addressing newsmen in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, the State LP Chairman, Engr. Lookman Jagun, said called on the State Independent Electoral Commission to cancel the election.

Jagun said, "Sadly, the Chairman of OGSIEC Babatunde Osibodu has failed to use the opportunity of the local government election to distinguish himself. What took place in Ogun state today falls short of the minimum standard required for the conduct of an election. There was no election whatsoever in the whole of Ogun state. The good people of Ogun state were deliberately disenfranchised and prevented from using their votes to express their dissatisfaction with the failure of governance in the state".

"The good people of Ogun state were deliberately disenfranchised and prevented from using their votes to express their dissatisfaction with the failure of governance in the state".

"There was no election whatsoever in virtually all the polling units in Ogun state. OGSIEC officials were no where to be seen in over ninety percent of the Polling Units and there were no election materials at the Polling Units as at 1.30pm. In the few Polling Units where election materials were delivered, the materials were incomplete and were delivered around 1pm, as against 8am when the election was supposed to start".

"More worrisome is the fact that our teeming supporters, made up of youths, old men and women, came out in their numbers to exercise their democratic rights. They waited endlessly for the arrival of OGSIEC officials and the election materials, which never came. In the few places where the materials were delivered, our supporters were chased away from the polling units and those who stood their grounds were beaten and brutalised".

"We totally reject whatever results that are declared in this sham of an election. Even the good people of Ogun state have been expressing their opinions on radio and television that there was no election in Ogun state".

The party called on OGSIEC to cancel the entire election for being in clear violation of the electoral guidelines of Ogun state electoral law. 

"If they fail to do this, we will reject any results that is announced and put the necessary machinery in motion to challenge this charade in Court".