February 22: How Abioye-led OSSIEC Saved And Shaped Osun Grassroot Democracy
- By Teslim Akanji
Residents of Osun State on February 22, 2025, trooped out to participate in the local government election despite efforts by some enemies of the state to suppress the will of the people and make the election impossible.
The election, which produced the state’s democratically elected council chairmen and councillors, was generally peaceful even though there were calls for its suspension by the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, who used their offices to support the shenanigans of the opposition party.
The election has come and gone, with Osun people electing who to represent them at the grassroots. However, the success story of that election will not be complete without mentioning the man who stood up against all forces to ensure a credible poll; Barrister Hashim Abioye.
Born in Ikirun, headquarters of Ifelodun Local Government, Abioye was initially appointed as a member of Governor Adeleke Executive Cabinet, later appointed by same Governor Ademola Adeleke as the Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), on November 13, 2023, taking on the mantle of leadership of the state electoral umpire which at the time has lost all its integrity especially after the popular YES/NO election in 2022.
The task looked enormous, but as American author John C. Maxwell said, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” Abioye not only embraced his new role but also performed beyond expectations in his 17 months so far in office. The February 22 local government election is a testament to his leadership acumen and resilience.
He took on the challenge from his first day in office, and with the support of his ever-ready management team and staff, he was able to turn the fortune of the sinking Commission around. Not only did he change the face of the Commission inwardly and outwardly, but also regained the lost trust in the state electoral body, evidenced in the turn of of participants in the last council election and the success recorded.
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This is a man who operates according to the dictate of the constitution and Osun Independent Electoral Commission law 2022. The timetable for the election was out a year before, with every political party given enough time to prepare for the poll, unlike the local government election conducted by the immediate past administration, which failed to meet the standards and, as such, got nullified by the Federal High Court.
The preparation started earlier with things put in place to ensure a successful, free, credible election. As Abioye and his team were preparing for the election, alas, the first big hurdle came – The Supreme Court judgement on local government autonomy. The apex court on July 11, 2024, as part of its landmark judgment, ruled that state governments have no power to appoint caretaker committees and that only democratically elected local government councils are legally recognized. The judgment also asked the federal government not to pay allocation to states without a democratic system run by democratically elected local government officials.
At this time, Osun State was operating with caretaker local government chairmen with pressures coming from all quarters for OSSIEC to move forward the local government elections’ date, but as a lawyer who understands the law, Abioye stood his ground. Perhaps if he had succumbed to the pressure, the same fate that befell Rivers State’s local government election might have visited the February 22 local government poll in Osun also.
He fought and won the first hurdle but the biggest challenge arrived soon. The call by the opposition All Progressives Congress for the local government election not to take place citing a judgement by the Court of Appeal, Akure. The APC claimed the court had reinstated its sacked local government officials, hence there was no need for an election. The opposition party started a campaign against the person of Abioye and used all machinery, including the federal might, to stop the election from taking place.
However, the Ikirun-born lawyer only asked a question that the opposition has failed to answer to this day; where is the court order stopping the election from going ahead? Up till date, despite the huge threat of the opposition figures, no committal proceeding has been initiated against Abioye and his OSSIEC! There cannot be any, of course!
As the election date approached, the call for its cancellation became louder from the opposition in Osun State with support from the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun. Two days before the election, the AGF asked Governor Adeleke to put the local government election scheduled on hold, noting that the judgment of the appellate court implied that the All Progressives Congress (APC) local council chairmen formerly sacked by the lower court had been restored. Fagbemi tried to assume the role of a court, a role that was beyond his authority. Abioye rightly ignored AGF Fagbemi’s advice and rightly dismissed IGP Egbetokun’s threat, having seen through their partisanship and biased interest.
As if that was not enough, the IGP Egbetokun also supported the opposition party and went as far as deploying his tactical squad to take over the secretariat of the electoral commission in Osogbo, the state capital with the aim of stopping the election by all means.
However, despite intimidation, harassment, and threats by the security agents sent by Egbetokun, Abioye was not deterred in his resolve to carry out his constitutional role. After several consultations with legal professionals, he became more determined to make the election a success. He led his team, made sure their morale remained high and conducted the election without any violence. The enemies were put to shame.
Despite all the threats and attempts to stifle democracy, on February 22, 2025, OSSIEC set out to conduct the election, did so, candidates won, and the electoral umpire saved Osun grassroots politics.
After the election, only eight petitions – two local government Chairmanship and six councillorship were filed against the election out of a total 30 Chairmanship and 332 Councilorship positions into which election was conducted. This shows the level of acceptability and the good job done by OSSIEC under Barrister Hashim Abioye.
Two months after the election the opposition is yet to challenge the credibility of the election in any court of competent jurisdiction despite its campaign of calumny against Barrister Abioye and his team.
Abioye not only put the enemies of Osun to shame but saved the state’s grassroots democracy, and with him as the head of the Commission, Osun State Local Government electoral umpire is in a safe hand.
The opinions expressed in this publication are solely those of the author. It does not represent the editorial position or opinion of OSUN DEFENDER.
