LG polls: PDP reacts as SIEC demands N200,000 from candidates in Ogun

Ahead of the July 24 local government elections in Ogun State, the state Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) has asked chairmanship candidates to pay a sum of N200,000.

The electoral commission also asked the councillorship candidates to pay N100,000 each.

The Chairman of OGSIEC, Babatunde Osibodu, disclosed this on Tuesday at a press conference he addressed at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta.

Osibodu said, “The Electoral Law 2007 provides for payment of a non-refundable deposit by intending candidates.”

He revealed that “For Chairmanship candidates, this fee has been set as N200,000 while for Councillorship candidates, it is N100,000.”

However, Osibodu said women participating in the election would not pay a dime.

“For the avoidance of doubt, this means that female candidates will not be required to make any deposit,” he declared.

To obtain a nomination form from OGSIEC, Osibodu said candidates must produce evidence of payment of the aforesaid deposit.

The Commission directed that all members of Transition Committees of Local Governments who want to participate in the elections must have resigned their positions, at least, 30 days from the date of the election.

While promising to be fair, equitable, just, even-handed, open and transparent, the Chairman urged political parties not to run foul of the laws, saying “We beseech you to comply fully with the laid down rules governing the conduct of these elections.”

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Speaking about the electoral guidelines, he said, “I urge you to note the following amendments to the earlier released timetable: (i) the times given for party primaries has been increased to 22 days, from Wednesday 5th May to Thursday 27th May 2021; (ii) Political campaigns are to end Midnight Thursday 22nd July 2021, rather than the earlier stated time.”

Meanwhile, a leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olumide Aderinokun, has asked Governor Dapo Abiodun not to turn the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) into a revenue generation agency.

Akinruyiwa of Owu Kingdom, Aderinokun told Governor Dapo Abiodun “not to use the forthcoming local government elections in Ogun State as an avenue to increase the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the State.”

It will be recalled that a report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) stated that the IGR of the state dropped from N70 billion in 2019 to N50 billion in 2020.

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In a statement made available to newsmen on Thursday, the Ogun House of Representatives candidate described the amount charged by the commission as “barbaric”.

According to the statement signed by his media aide, Taiye Taiwo, the politician said, “Governor Abiodun and his team should look elsewhere for revenue collection and not through the local government election. The amount charged for nomination forms is barbaric. It is not necessary.”

He accused Abiodun and the All Progressives Congress (APC) of making democracy expensive in Ogun, saying it was a ploy to disenfranchise some candidates.

The real estate expert added that many younger aspirants would not be able to participate in the elections as they would not be able to afford the OGSIEC nomination fee.

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“He (Gov Abiodun) is making democracy expensive by charging N200,000 and N100,000 for chairmanship and councillorship forms respectively.

“The All Progressives Congress (APC) is trying to disenfranchise candidates from the opposition parties. We are talking about election that will usher in our servant leaders at the grassroots and not State Assembly election. Why demanding that huge amount from candidates? Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) is not supposed to be a revenue generation agency. The governor should know this.

“The high fee charged by OGSIEC will discourage younger aspirants from participating in the election,” he lamented.

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