Concerns have been raised over the appointment of Hashim Abioye as Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC), according to the Osun State Chapter of the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CDHR).
The Osun CDHR has also petitioned the state’s Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) to reject the appointment.
The Osun CDHR, in a letter signed by its Chairman Emmanuel Olowu and addressed to the Independent Political Advisory Council (IPAC) in Osun State, obtained by DAILY POST on Saturday, argued that “the dual affiliation of Hashim Abioye raises serious questions about his ability to uphold the principles of impartiality and transparency as the head of OSIEC for he holds the mandate to organized local Government election in the state.”
It was also stated that OSIEC’s credibility will suffer as a result of Abioye’s appointment.
It was claimed by the Osun CDHR that HASHIM was appointed to serve the PDP’s interests rather than to promote democracy in Osun State.
We’re writing to “bring to your attention the grave concerns surrounding the recent appointment of Barrister Hashim Abioye as the Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission” (OSIEC), which the Osun State Government went ahead with despite your rejection of the process in a statement signed by you and your Secretary on November 10th, 2023.
As part of our mission to advocate for the social rights of Nigerians, we write to express our concern that the appointment of a card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the position of Senior Special Adviser to the Osun State Governor has stalled progress toward improving local government in the state.
Because of his position as head of OSIEC, which is charged with organizing local government elections in the state, Abioye’s dual allegiance raises major issues about his capacity to respect the ideals of impartiality and transparency.
It is quite evident that Hashim was appointed to promote the interests of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and not to advance the democratic process in Osun State, and the ramifications of such an appointment will have an adverse effect on the credibility of the performance of OSIEC.
“We want you to know that the acceptance of such an appointment is an expression that all other political parties in the state have agreed to a one party system in the state and an indicator that all political parties in the state have bowed to the ideology of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
It would be heretical if political parties under your body accepted the appointment of Hashim, who all signs suggest is a member of the ruling party. “Moreover, the success of a democratic process depends on the extent to which the opposition can constructively criticize the governance process with a mission to take over the leadership of a state and a vision to govern the state based on the ideology of their political party.
In a statement, they said, “We kindly urge the Osun State Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) to address this matter promptly for the sake of our democracy by mobilizing its members to advocate for the remover of Barrister Hashim Abioye and to emphasize the need for a truly impartial and non-partisan figure, who will fulfill all just requirements to lead OSIEC.”
