The Chairman of the Labour Party in Oyo State, Atayese Tunji Sadiq, has said that the party remained the ultimate winner in the just concluded local government election in the state.
The chairman stated this while addressing the local government chairmen of the party, chairmanship and councillors candidates of the party in the last local government election in the state and other stakeholders at the party secretariat on Saturday.
Atayese, while commending the candidates for the doggedness exhibited in their campaigns for the election said that the meeting aimed to review the election and it outcome.
The chairman remarked that the leadership of the Labour party would always represent the best interest of the candidates, the party and the good people of Oyo state despite the outcome of the election.
“I would like to appreciate your participation in the last local government election. I must especially commend your vision, focus, determination and doggedness at winning at the polls. You made so much sacrifice of your time, money, energy, and other resources.
“You gave a good fight and I am convinced that the public accepted your candidature at your various local governments.
“My appreciation also goes to members of the party at the various local governments who supported the campaigns with their time and resources with a view of winning the election. Not to be left out are the members of the public who for the first time came out to vote for the candidates of our party with the belief that their votes would count.
“As for the outcome of the election, members of the public have taken turns to condemn it.
“We may be disappointed but we should not be disturbed, we should take it as a blessing in disguise because our participation in the election has actually reshaped the destiny of the Labour Party for good, “Atayese said.
The chairman added that the party has consistently maintained that the IPAC representation at different forums that the election was free and fair does not represent the stand of the Labour Party.
According to him, IPAC is expected to be advisory and not to be partisan. Henceforth, LP members and the public should take note that where such a position is expressed by IPAC, it does not represent the position of combined IPAC members since LP is a member of IPAC.
“IPAC remarks on credibility of last LG election in the state should be taken as the position of the party of whosoever makes such representation in the name of IPAC,”he said.
The Chairman charged the candidates to keep faith with the party going into the future and resist enticements to join other parties, emphasizing that the Labour Party stands as the next alternative for good governance in Oyo State.
He said that the party in the state would remain dedicated to upholding democratic principles and ensuring the voices of its members, supporters and the people of Oyo State are heard and respected.
Also speaking, the LP chairmanship candidate for Ibadan North Local Government Area, Babatunde Omirin, while commenting on the election, acknowledged that election actually took place in a number of places but majority of the polling units witnessed no election due to non-availability of voting materials, controlled release of voting materials, late arrival of voting materials and outright thuggery.
He stated that the conduct of the election was a far cry from the promises and assurances given by the OYSIEC chairman in the build up to the election.
“We are disappointed in the conduct of the election. OYSIEC chairman’s assurances was one of the key elixirs for us to contest in the election. We are not political neophytes to know that local government elections were always for the government in power.
“Persistent assurances of free and fair contest melted our hearts and we gave all our all into the election, thinking a new thing was to happen in Oyo state. It was a betrayal of public trust, to say the least, “he said.
In her submission, the LP chairmanship candidate in Oluyole local government area, Mrs Bukola Akinpelu, said that the scarce resources expended on the unaccepted LG election by the state government could have been put to alternative uses of better benefits to the good people of Oyo state.
She frowned at the persistent position of IPAC executives that the election was free and fair but with reservation for its credibility.
“The position taken by the IPAC executive is an affront on the collective intelligence of the candidates of parties that genuinely participated in the election, and that of the good people of the state who are enthusiastic about the process but disappointed with the final execution of the election, “she said.
