Former caretaker chairman in Oyo State, Hon. Sarafadeen Olaoniye Bibire has appealed to the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission OYSIEC, to ensure conduct of April 27th local council elections to enable free, fair and transparent exercise.
In a statement made available to newsmen through media officer to the former caretaker on Wednesday noted that the world evolves technologically everyday, and the only way to arrest election fraud, post-election violence and distrust in the election body is through the use of bimordal voter accreditation system, BVAs.
Hon. Olaoniye Bibire while calling the residents to actively participate in the forthcoming local government election, expressed optimism that the All Progressives’ Congress,APC, will win the 85 percent of the polls if BVAs will be used.
He added that the local government, being the tier of government remains the closest to the people, however, regretted that anti-people political parties have been holding Nigerians to ransom since 1999 by silencing the local government administrations by imposing their lackeys and other elements unpopular to the grassroots.
They do this for two reasons:, “One is to keep primitively looted wealth by making sure allocations to the local government administrations are held at the state level and pittances sent down to their lackeys in charge.”
“Also, they hold down the LG administrations to make sure there is no development from below.
Meanwhile, the former caretaker chairman appreciated the governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde for having it in mind to liberate the grassroots by formalizing elections to the local government since his first term in office, called him to direct the chairman of OYSIEC, Aara Isiaka Olagunju to use BVAs in the forthcoming elections to maintain his governmental integrity.
“It is on this note that I call on the OYSIEC to be transparent, fair, and free. We know that some hanky panky is at play, but we will resist all forms of rigging throughout the whole state. We insist that both BVAS and IREV must work efficiently, or else!”
However, Sarafa Olaoniye appealed to people of Oyo State, especially Ibarapa indigenes to vote candidates that are credibly brilliant, selfless, and highly experienced in working for the masses in the areas of Education, Healthcare, Security, Agriculture is for ease of every resident at the grassroots and state at large, asking the residents to shun politics of bitterness for the development of democracy of the country.
“If Nigerians can get it right in terms of local government administration, we would not be suffering this badly.” He added.”
“We have a situation today – Nigerians are suffering in the hands of the few.”
“We also call on police, military, and paramilitary not to be allowed to be used to disrupt elections.”
“Finally, we call on Oyo state electorates to rise and come out to vote for the candidate of their choice.”, the statement concluded.