The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Osun State chapter, has called on Governor Ademola Adeleke to reconstitute the newly inaugurated 10-man Committee on Election Violence Victims, citing the exclusion of political parties from its membership.
Governor Adeleke had on Monday announced the constitution of the committee, headed by the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adewale Olumide Egbedun, to verify claims by persons affected by election-related violence and oversee the disbursement of the N500 million Election Violence Victims Relief Endowment Fund.
According to a statement by the Governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, the committee also draws members from Civil Society Organisations, the Nigeria Police Force, the Ministry of Information, the Ministry of Justice, the Department of State Services, and the Osun Investment Promotion Agency.
However, IPAC has kicked against the composition, saying the committee fails to meet the basic test of inclusiveness and credibility. In a statement, the council’s state chairman, Dr. Tosin Odeyemi, said it was troubling that not a single political party was represented on a committee set up to address election violence.
“Victims of election violence cut across party lines. To leave parties out is to undermine confidence in the exercise,” Odeyemi said.
He argued that a credible verification and relief process must accommodate all stakeholders, particularly political parties, whom he described as the major stakeholders in any election.
“While the institutions listed in the committee are no doubt critical to this process, you cannot set up a body to adjudicate on election violence victims and shut out the very parties whose members and supporters bore the brunt of that violence. It simply does not add up,” Odeyemi said.
He said the absence of party representatives raises legitimate doubts about the fairness and transparency of the entire exercise, regardless of the intentions behind it.
“This is not about distrust for the individuals named to the committee. It is about process. Any process that determines who benefits from public funds meant for victims must carry the buy-in of those whose members are directly affected,” he added.
Odeyemi urged Governor Adeleke to act swiftly to reconstitute the committee and include representatives of political parties operating in the state.
“We are calling on the governor to reconstitute this committee without delay to reflect the interest of all political parties in Osun State. This is not too much to ask, and it is in the interest of the credibility of the entire exercise,” he said.
He, however, urged affected persons with genuine claims to cooperate with the verification process once the committee is reconstituted, while calling on the government to ensure that relief gets to all deserving victims irrespective of party affiliation, ethnicity, or religion.
“Once this is corrected, we will encourage genuine victims across board to come forward and cooperate fully. But relief must reach everyone who truly deserves it, not just a selected few,” Odeyemi said.
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