AKINWALE ABOLUWADE
Senator Sharafadeen Alli, representing Oyo South District at the National Assembly, on Saturday, flawed the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission for its alleged poor preparation for the local government election held in the state.
This came as Governor Seyi Makinde, however, thumbed up for the OYSIEC for what he called the successful conduct of the LG poll in the state.
In an interview at his family compound located at Ward 3, in Ibadan North Local Government Area, Alli, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, decried the reported incidents of late arrival of electoral materials at some pollen units in parts of the state.
The lawmaker stated that the election was characterised with some abnormalities.
He explained that the experience in most of the centres where the election took place left an impression that OYSIEC was not fully prepared for the election.
Says Alli, “I have had complains from Iseyin, I have had complains from Okeho since yesterday. There was a problem from Ayete yesterday. Polling officers are yet to arrive at Idikan Onibata. In Ward 4 and Ward 5 of Ibadan North West Local Government Area, we kept on complaining.
“As I am talking, they said they are on their way. The election is going to close at 3pm and they are yet to arrive as at 11am.
“It shows that the OYSIEC is not prepared or they are up to some games. Definitely, it is one out of the two.
“If by 11am materials are yet to arrive this place which is about five to 10 minutes from both the OYSIEC headquarters and Ibadan North Local Government Area headquarters, what are we talking about?
“This is Ward 3 in my local government area and this is where I have been voting. Last year, we were here. By this time the election was almost concluded.”
In the meantime, the Chairman of OYSIEC, Isiaka Olagunju, said the Commission attended to the feedback on the late arrival of election materials at some of the polling units in the state.
Olagunju was quoted by Vanguard Newspaper to have said this shortly after observing the voting exercise across the Ibadan metropolis on state.
