The former chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, Wale Adebayo, has called for the resignation of Barrister Hashim Abioye, the head of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission.
Adebayo accused Abioye of being biased in favor of the People’s Democratic Party as the February 22nd, 2025 local government elections approach.
Wale Adebayo, who is also the state chairman of the Allied Peoples Movement, criticized the current IPAC leadership under Victor Akande for reversing their decision to boycott the local government elections.
Akande and 16 political parties had initially decided to boycott the election, alleging planned manipulation by OSIEC.
Adebayo expressed his disappointment in a statement, saying, “As a party committed to the democratic process, we firmly believe that Barrister Hashim Abioye is not legally and morally qualified to conduct a free, fair, and credible election. It is truly disappointing to see that IPAC has now backtracked on its earlier decision, citing the OSIEC Chairman’s ‘listening ear’ and readiness to work with them.”
He further demanded, “We call on the OSIEC Chairman, Barrister Hashim Abioye, to step down from his position and allow for the appointment of an independent and impartial electoral commissioner to oversee the commission.”
In response, IPAC spokesman Dr. Gbenga Afeni defended Abioye, stating, “We have made our findings and realized that the OSIEC Chairman, Hashim Abioye, has never contested any election before. He is not a member of any political party; he has never held any political position before.”
Barrister Hashim Abioye himself dismissed the allegations as distractions by politicians. He affirmed that the local government elections scheduled for February 22nd, 2025, will proceed as planned.
