The Osun State independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) in a bid to have a free, fair and credible local government elections, has commenced training for electoral officers and assistant electoral officers.
The Electoral officers and their assistants will be in charge of 68 local government areas and local council development authority in the October 15, 2022 election.
Insight Media has earlier reported that the Local Government Elections will be held on the 15th of October 2022.
Otunba Segun Oladitan, Chairman of OSIEC, while addressing participants at the opening ceremony of the workshop in Osogbo on Monday, charged the electoral officers on the need to be transparent in their dealings.
Oladitan, said “As an Election Management Body (EMB), OSIEC will ensure a credible election through a transparent electoral process by using competent hands both permanent and adhoc personnel”.
He said the Commission is ready to provide all the needed logistics, materials and equipment to facilitate the conduct of a free, fair and credible elections.
Oladitan reiterated that the 2022 Local Government Elections in Osun State shall be based on the Presidential System of Government as against the parliamentary system held in the last election. “All registered voters in Osun will freely cast their votes for the Chairmen and Councillors of their choice.”
“This training is to systematically packaged to assist the various categories of Election Personnel to learn all aspects of polling to equip them to face Election Day challenges, as well as answer questions that may arise in the process.
“The major personnel that needs to be thoroughly trained are Electoral Officers, AEOS, Presiding Officers, Poll-Clerks, Poll Assistants (Orderly) Supervisory Presiding Officers and Collation/Returning Officers. They’re the pivot to a credible election”, he stated.
Dr. Omodeke Jide, a facilitator at the training said “to ensure that the election is free and fair and to guarantee that, there must be sound and accurate training for the officials, particularly those who are to be employed on the field.”
He further advised the trainee to make use of what they tell them and ensure transparency, fairness and etiquette in whatever they want to do because there is going to be ambassadors of the commission and state electoral commission at various venue election.
Ololade Opeyemi, one of the participants said, “in order to achieve good results they should get them prepared for the election because some of the participants did not know much about it. And to achieve good results there should be good communication between the trainee and the commission.
Arayonbo olaremi Abayomi, one of the trainees,said “I got a massage via SMS that we will be having a training here as the electoral officer for the forth coming Local Government elections that will be held next month which will be on the 15 of October ,I hope the training will be impactive so that we will have a free and fair election.”
InsightMedia also gathered the commission has produced a Training Manuals to guide all the personnel who will be engaged in the conduct of the polls.
