Ondo State Chairman of IPAC, Mr.Olaoluwa Adesanya
speaks with JUBRIL BADA on the upcoming local
government elections on January 18,2025. Excerpts:

Q) How prepared is the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) to ensure fair and credible local government elections during the forth coming exercise?

IPAC is fully prepared for the election coming up on January 18, 2025. We are fully prepared, and we are ready for the election.

We have all agreed to cooperate with the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC).

Q) To what extent have you cooperated with the commission to ensure a free, fair poll?

We have had our primary elections, and candidates have emerged from different political parties.

As of today, candidates of political parties have obtained their expression of interest and nomination forms. We have filled them, and hopefully, by Friday this week, every party would have submitted their completed forms for their candidates. This is part of our preparations.

If we were not prepared, we couldn’t have gone ahead to collect the forms. Some of us have even paid for the nomination fees.

Q) What specific steps has IPAC taken to foster collaboration among political parties for a peaceful election?

Last week, we had a meeting where we all agreed to cooperate with ODIEC to ensure the election is free, fair, and acceptable. We also have trust in the chairman of ODIEC, Dr. Joseph Aremo.

We know he is ready for the election and will be fair to all participating political parties.

Q) You are in an opposition party. Why are you so confident that the ODIEC chairman will conduct a free, fair election?

Well, former President Muhammadu Buhari appointed the National Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, and he did his work according to the law. The current chairman of ODIEC is a barrister at law who knows what the law says. He has also assured us that he will be fair to all participating political parties.

We have hope and confidence in him that he will conduct a free and fair election.

The fact that he was appointed by the governor does not mean he will support the ruling APC. There is a clear difference between Professor Joseph Aremo and the governor; they are not the same.

Q) What challenges have you observed in the run-up to the local government elections, and how can they be addressed?

Well, there are many challenges. Some of our members, particularly from the opposition parties, initially did not have trust in the process. But we went back to them and explained why they should participate in the election.

We appealed to them, emphasizing that their votes would count, and they agreed with us as leaders. This is why you now see many political parties ready to participate in the election. Many of us have presented candidates for both chairmanship and councilorship seats.

Q) How do you assess the role of the electoral commission in ensuring transparency and accountability in these elections?

I believe ODIEC has promised to provide every political party with a level playing field. Based on what we have observed so far, they are committed to this promise.

As of today, we have not seen any fraud from them, and I believe they will perform well and make the election credible. All the party chairmen have also agreed to work with them to ensure the credibility of the election.

One of the reasons we trust the chairman of ODIEC is his track record. When Professor Aremo assumed office, there was a case involving the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and ODIEC. A councillorship candidate from the ADC in Ikun Akoko Ward 9, Akoko Southwest Local Government Area, won the election but was denied victory. When this matter came up, Dr. Aremo immediately swore the candidate in after the court judgment.

What he did that day, in our presence, convinced me and other party chairmen that he is a man of his words. My advice to candidates is to go out and campaign. They should work for their victory, and IPAC will ensure that if they win, they will be declared winners. Nobody will be denied their victory.

Q) What mechanisms are in place to handle inter-party disputes or allegations of malpractices during the election?

We have set up a committee to monitor the election. This committee will visit each local government and bring back reports. The general body of IPAC will then work on the findings.

The election monitoring committee is headed by the Secretary of IPAC.

Q) How does IPAC plan to encourage voter participation, especially at the grassroots level?

It is one of IPAC’s responsibilities to embark on voter sensitization. We are looking for ways to finance this and will appeal to the government for assistance because IPAC is not a financial institution.

We plan to visit each local government headquarters to educate the electorate on why they should come out to vote and choose leaders of their choice from any political party.

However, if we discover that we cannot visit all local governments, we will choose two local governments from each senatorial district.

Q) How will you source funds to finance the sensitization?

We plan to finance the sensitization by appealing to the government and other stakeholders for financial assistance.

Q) Does it not look odd to seek financial assistance for sensitization from the government of the day, which is under the ruling APC?

No, it is not odd. There is a clear difference between the state government and the APC. The governor is for everyone, not just the APC.

He won the election on the APC platform, but as the governor, he represents all political parties and citizens. Therefore, seeking assistance from the government has no negative effect on the sensitization process. We all own the state together.

Q) What lessons from previous elections can be applied to improve the conduct of the January 18, 2025 local government polls?

I would advise ODIEC to follow INEC’s good example by ensuring that voting materials get to the polling units on time. Timely arrival of voting materials will reduce delays and prevent the disenfranchisement of voters.

Q) With this advice, are you saying that in past elections there were issues with delays in the arrival of voting materials?

Yes, it happened, though not in all local governments. In some areas, there were delays, while others received materials early.

This time, however, we want uniformity. We want voting materials to arrive at all 3,933 polling units at the right time.