Osun State Chapter of the Committee for the Defence of Human Right, CDHR, has expressed concern over the appointment of Hashim Abioye as the Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, OSIEC.
The Osun CDHR also urged the Inter Party Advisory Council, IPAC, in the state not to allow the appointment to stand.
In a letter signed by its Chairman, Emmanuel Olowu and addressed to IPAC in Osun State, obtained by DAILY POST on Saturday, the Osun CDHR held that if Nigeria’s democracy is to wax stronger, “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 also noted that Abioye’s appointment will have a detrimental effect on the credibility of OSIEC.
Osun CDHR claimed “it is clear that HASHIM was appointed to represent the interests of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and not to advance the democratic process in Osun State.
“We are 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 through a statement jointly signed by you and your Secretary on Thursday 10th of November, 2023.
“In line with our mandate to campaign for the social rights of the Nigerian people, we want to inform you that the actions of the Osun State Government and your inability to take further action to stop the process of the appointment of a card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who also holds the position of a Senior Special Adviser to the Osun State Governor is an aberration to the advancement of governance at the local government level, which must not be allowed to stand if truly all political parties that form your body are set to see Nigeria’s democracy wax stronger.
“The dual affiliation of 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 organize local government elections in the state.
“The implications of such an appointment will have a detrimental effect on the credibility of the performance of OSIEC because it has been clear that Hashim was appointed to represent the interests of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and not to advance the democratic process in Osun State.
“We want you to know that the acceptance of such an appointment is an indication that all political parties in the state has submitted to the ideology of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and an expression that all other political parties have agreed to one party system in the state
“Moreover, the advancement of a democratic process is based on the level at which the opposition can positively 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; it will therefore be heretical that political parties under your body could have submitted their ideology to the ruling party by simply accepting the appointment of Hashim, which all indications point to the fact that he is appointed to work for the PDP
“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.”
