Osun State’s All Progressives Congress (APC) has blasted the state assembly for allegedly associating a past governor with recent personnel transfers at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Osun APC Director of Media and Information Kola Olabisi released a statement on Thursday describing the charges made by lawmakers led by Speaker Adewale Egbedun as baseless. This came after a press briefing that had been held earlier in the day in Osogbo.
The Assembly had claimed that INEC in the state had undergone “internal operational changes” and that the current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, was responsible for these changes.
“Such staff redeployments fall strictly within the statutory responsibilities of the electoral body and are guided by existing electoral laws,” the APC added in response.
Political interference or misinterpretation of INEC’s routine administrative actions is unacceptable. There has been little issue around such moves in the past.
In response to the lawmakers’ claims that it was involved in INEC internal affairs, the party denied any knowledge of the particular personnel movement in question.
“We are completely oblivious to the fact that such a thing has happened, and we couldn’t care less about how the commission is actually run,” the APC stated.
It was emphasised in the statement that “it is a fundamental principle that whoever makes an allegation must provide proof,” and the claim against Oyetola was likewise rejected as unfounded.
In the run-up to the 2026 governorship election on August 15, the APC said the lawmakers were acting politically by shifting the focus away from governance issues.
The party connected the dispute to larger political happenings in the state, pointing out that different groups were ramping up their election preparations.
Its efforts to obtain an electoral victory through legal means were still underway, but it did so by reiterating its support for its candidate for governor.
Oyetola and other party members are dedicated to following the law in order to secure victory at the polls, the statement continued.
Furthermore, the APC strongly encouraged the general population to ignore the claims, calling them “baseless and unsupported by any empirical evidence.”
The party reiterated its stance, arguing that INEC should be free to do its job without political meddling or intervention.
Thursday, lawmakers in Osun State voiced their displeasure with recent administrative shifts at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), expressing fear that these changes may compromise the credibility of the state’s upcoming elections.
At a press conference in Osogbo on Thursday, Speaker of the Assembly Adewale Egbedun represented lawmakers when he said that the redeployment of Dr. Mutiu Agboke, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun, had garnered attention due to the fact that it seemed abrupt and had no apparent reason.
Key electoral workers, including Administrative Secretaries, Electoral Officers, Assistant Electoral Officers, and information and communication technology (ICT) staff, were reportedly being evaluated for additional redeployments, according to reports received by the Assembly.