PPN picks holes in planned Ogun council polls

The Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN), in Ogun State, has faulted the state electoral body’s preparation for the October 8 local government and local council development areas (LCDA) elections.

The party alleged that the body’s preparation might be another attempt by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state to rig out opposition parties in the polls.

In a statement issued, yesterday, by the state chairman Bola Oyedele, secretary, Bambo Olajonlu, and publicity secretary, Ajibade Muftau, respectively, the party queried the rationale behind conducting elections in the newly created LCDA with no guideline.

“Our party has discovered that the guidelines recently published by the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) are controversy laden” the statement said.

“We hope this election will not be a repeat of the fraud perpetrated in the 2012 councils’ elections, when the ruling government forced down the throat of its citizens, through massive rigging and electoral panel manipulation.

“In as much as we desire and crave for grass-root development, the hasty and ill-conceived creation of the new 37 local council development areas is fraud-laden and politically induced.

“We, at PPN, wonder how 57 council chairmen will survive running the councils, considering the paucity of funds from the federal allocation, and the present economic meltdown.”