The Chairman, Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission( OYSIEC ), Aare Isiaka Abiola Olagunju, SAN, has charged civil servants in Oyo state to ensure they exercise their civic rights by casting their votes in the forthcoming Local Government Councils Election .
The OYSIEC boss made the charge on Wednesday during the visit of the Commission to the office of the Head of Service,at the Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.
Olagunju , who sought support of the head of service in staffing, capacity building among others to have a successful poll, said it was essential for civil servants to play their part in sustaining democratic administration at the third tier of government.
He maintained that the present administration led by Governor Seyi Makinde is committed to conducting local government council election, which he said the governor demonstrated in 2021.
His words : ” I observed that the majority of civil servants in the state don’t usually vote during local government council elections. At the last election we had in 2021, 29.6 percent of registered voters in the state took part. We appeal to you all to come out enmasse on election day and cast your vote, we assure you of a free , fair, credible, peaceful and transparent election come 2024.
While congratulating the head of service on her appointment, Olagunju, said the role and contributions of civil servants working with the commission in election conduct is inevitable; hence, there is need to have professionals and special staffers for the task ahead.
He described the appointment of the head of service as a round peg in the right hole.
“ We congratulate you on well-deserved appointment. We know that your office is responsible for human development in Oyo , and we seek your support in this regard.
“Preparations for the 2024 local government councils election are ongoing, and we need to move around. We need information technology experts to handle the ICT section and special staffers that will be solely for election conduct.
The Head of Service, Mrs. Olubunmi Oni, while responding, said the requests of OYSIEC , require the input of the commission for actualization.
Mrs Oni expressed the readiness of her office to work with the commission and attend to their requests promptly.
She enjoined the leadership of OYSIEC to intensify efforts on sensitization and awareness creation on local government councils election for inclusive participation.
She said further:” The Commission needs trusted and reliable staff, you will need to put your request in black and white, and we will process it on your behalf.
” You will need more publicity, more sensitization for more participation.”
