PDP clears Oyo local government polls

The Peoples Democratic Party has won the chairmanship seats in all the 33 local governments in Oyo State following Saturday’s council elections.

Chairman of Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission, Isiaka Olagunju, announced the results at the commission’s headquarters in Ibadan on Sunday.

Olagunju attributed the success recorded in the exercise to the support given by Governor Seyi Makinde and other stakeholders in the state.

The OYSIEC chairman, who doubles as the Chief Returning Officer, however acknowledged the fact that there were some aspects of the elections that required improvement.

He said such areas would reflect in the elections report that would be submitted to the state government.

Olagunju commended such stakeholders as the Inter-Party Advisory Council, for allowing a robust relationship with OYSIEC towards achieving free and fair elections.

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“I want to appreciate those who contributed in one way or the other to the success recorded.

“We must also appreciate the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State and other security agencies for standing by the commission before, during and after the elections.

“We are not claiming to be angels or saints. We acknowledge that we have areas of improvement, and we promise that this will reflect in our report to the government,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Governor Seyi Makinde, while commenting on the elections on Saturday, had said the security report about the elections had been excellent, indicating that it was violence-free.

He noted that his administration had successfully eradicated caretaker administration at the local government level, which had made people not have a say in who should govern them.

The governor also urged people who might notice any untoward activity to report to relevant authorities for redress.

In his remarks, the re-elected Chairman of Ibadan North-East Local Government, Ibrahim Akintayo, promised the people of his local government area a better performance.

“It is a matter of continuity. We will try to improve on our bottom-up approach through which we will be listening and addressing the plight of our people,” he said.