Preparations are underway for the upcoming local government election in February 2025 as the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, OSSIEC, has made public the election guidelines.
The announcement was conveyed through a statement released by Omoyemi Badru, the Press Secretary to OSSIEC Chairman, Hashim Abioye, in Osogbo on Tuesday.
It was disclosed in the statement that all participating political parties have submitted dates for their party primary elections.
Stakeholders involved in the electoral process are urged to familiarize themselves with the guidelines, which contain essential information and procedural details related to the poll.
Recent developments indicate the growing interest of political parties in the forthcoming election.
The statement specified that the nomination fee for a chairmanship candidate is N500,000 and N250,000 for a councillorship candidate, which are non-refundable.
Candidates are required to provide certain documents along with their nomination forms, including a tax clearance certificate issued in their personal name within the last 2-3 years.
The selection of chairmanship and vice chairmanship candidates by a political party must align with the peculiarities, history, custom, and geographical spread of the respective local government.
Procedures for the withdrawal and replacement of candidates are outlined, emphasizing that such changes must be endorsed by both the state chairman and secretary of the political party before the final publication of names by the Commission, except in the event of a candidate’s demise.
Additionally, political appointees are required to resign from their positions before the primary election date.
Regarding the voting process, individuals must possess a valid Permanent Voters Card (PVC) issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The statement also provides details on result collation and declaration, election tribunal procedure, and election appeal tribunal procedure.