18 registered political parties will participate in Oyo State’s local government elections scheduled for April, 2024, the chairman of Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission, OYSIEC, Aare Isiaka Olagunju has said.
Olagunju made the disclosure while featuring at the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Correspondents’ chapel guest platform programme, “Speak Out”.
He stated that the commission would engage about 18,000 personnel to ensure that the election went as expected, stating that the commission would soon screen the candidates of the political parties.
He said, “We have over 6,000 polling units now in Oyo State and we will have at least three people in a polling unit. So, we will have about 18,000 personnel. We will engage them and give them the necessary training.”
The commission, he added is targeting 50 per cent registered voters’ participation in the next local government election.
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“The commission had 29.6 per cent participation in 2021 when we conducted the election, though not the best but an indication that we are getting there. Residents are therefore urged to have trust and confidence in the commission and vote on election day.”
On security, he noted that the commission would engage the police, army, DSS and NSCDC personnel in the conduct of the election.
“In election management, the police is key in security matters. We have visited the police, the army, the DSS, and the NSCDS and the correctional services.”
He however declared that the commission would not use Amotekun due to the fear by the people that they could be used to intimidate the people in the state.
