THE Labour Party (LP) in Osun has announced its withdrawal from Saturday’s local government election in the state.
The Chairman of LP in Osun, Mr Adebayo Bello, made the announcement while speaking with newsmen on Friday in Osogbo.
Bello said that the party was withdrawing from the election due to lack of adequate security arrangement by the State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), for the peaceful conduct of the poll.
He, however, called for the postponement of the election for one or two months, to enable OSSIEC to adequately prepare for the poll.
Bello said that the postponement would also afford the electoral umpire to resolve the legal issues surrounding the conduct of the election.
Similarly, the Chairman of Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Adewale Adebayo, expressed disappointment over the preparations of OSSIEC for the election.
Adebayo , who noted that the party would not participate in the election, said that when he attempted to officially deliver the withdrawal letter to OSSIEC office on Thursday, no official of the commission was present.
“We want to confirm that we are not participating in the illegal local government election, slated for Saturday.
“We are very disappointed that all OSSIEC staff, including its chairman, have absconded from their headquarters since Wednesday,” he said.
Meanwhile, the OSSIEC office was under lock and key on Friday.
Journalists who went to the commission’s office to collect accreditation tags were turned back by security men stationed at the entrance of the office.
One of the security men at the entrance, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that nobody was allowed to go into the the premises since Wednesday.
Efforts to speak with OSSIEC Chairman, Hashim Abioye, proved abortive, as calls put through to his mobile phone did not connect.
