The Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) needs N1.5bn to conduct the forthcoming local government election in the state.
It has, as a result, forwarded the amount to the state House of Assembly.
This was disclosed by OSIEC Chairman, Mr Segun Oladitan, who noted that it would conduct the state local government elections as soon as funds were made available for the exercise.
Oladitan made this known on Wednesday, during the defence of the commission’s 2022 budget before the Osun State House of Assembly Joint Committees on Finance and Appropriation, in Osogbo.
The OSIEC chairman explained that the state government was experiencing paucity of funds and was yet to make available, the needed funds for the conduct of the local government elections.
He, however, explained that the election processes would come in three phases: the pre-election, during election and post-election and that OSIEC had been making pre-election preparations.
“We have started the training of personnel and through the help of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), our personnel and election officials are also being trained.
“We have equally visited other states to monitor and observe their conducts of the local government elections, in the hope of learning how to conduct a smooth and successful election of our own.
“We have also put forward the budget of N1.5 billion, and if the assembly considers and approves our budget, we will be able to conduct the Osun Local Government Elections,” he said.
Oladitan added the next local government elections in the state would be based on the presidential election system (as amended by the state assembly), in contrast to the parliamentary election system used in 2018.
Mr Olodo Taiwo, the Chairman of the Osun State House of Assembly Joint Committees on Finance and Appropriation, lauded the resolve and efforts of the commission and cleared its budget as considered
