APM Chair Declares ‘Lockdown,’ Alleges Electoral Fraud
The Osun State Chairman of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Hon. Adewale Adebayo, has criticized the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) over the conduct of Saturday’s local government election, describing it as a sham.
Adebayo claimed that no election took place across the state except in Ede, the hometown of Governor Ademola Adeleke. He alleged that OSIEC pushed forward with the poll to justify allocated funds, branding the exercise as fraudulent.
“What we experienced in Osun State today is not an election but a lockdown because people refused to participate in the illegal poll, except in Ede town where only a few members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) voted in some polling units of top political appointees of the governor.”
He further accused OSIEC Chairman, Hashim Abioye, of bias, stating:
“Our party is vindicated with this exercise of our earlier apprehension that OSIEC can never conduct any meaningful election since its chairman, Hashim Abioye, is a card-carrying member of PDP and serves Adeleke as Special Adviser on Legal Matters and served as PDP caretaker secretary.”
Adebayo alleged that billions of naira were wasted on what he described as a “shadow election,” adding that party members in Irewole, Isokan, Boripe, Ifelodun, Olorunda, Egbedore, Irepodun and Orolu confirmed that no elections were held.
“In fact, in Ede, where they held the illegal election, they claimed to have concluded voting by 8:30 am—the same Ede that voted till 9 pm during the governorship election in 2022.”
He called on Governor Adeleke, OSIEC Chairman Abioye, and other government officials to apologize to Osun residents.
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However, the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, refuted the claims, insisting that the election held successfully.
“There was a massive turnout of voters. I voted in Osogbo Ward 7, Unit 7, and the turnout was massive. I believe that people have confidence in OSIEC and the Osun State Government.”
The controversy surrounding the council election has intensified political tensions in the state, with opposition parties rejecting the process while the government maintains its legitimacy.
