The Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), Hashim Abioye, has dismissed allegations of bias and partisanship leveled against him by the Osun Masterminds, a civic group.
At a press conference organized by the Osun Masterminds as part of their January 2025 State of the State address, the group, during a question-and-answer session, accused Abioye of political bias. However, the OSSIEC chairman strongly refuted the claims, insisting that his leadership of the electoral body has remained impartial and focused on delivering credible elections.
In his response, Abioye questioned the basis of the allegations, stating, “An illegality is a criminality. What crime has been committed by being a member of a political party in the past and later resigning one’s membership? I have since dropped the garb and garment of a politician.”
He also challenged the credibility of the group’s criticisms, particularly pointing out their silence during the controversial local government elections conducted under the previous administration. “The Masterminds or whoever they are should let Osun people know where they were when about ₦2 billion of public funds were wasted on the YES/NO election conducted in 2022. The so-called ‘Osun Masterminds’ were nowhere to be found when OSSIEC, under the past administration, brazenly defied the law, violated the Electoral Act, and breached the Constitution.”
Abioye further alleged that the Osun Masterminds ignored past instances of partisanship within the electoral body. “Our friends, the Osun Masterminds, looked away when the immediate past chairman of OSSIEC and its members openly joined campaign trains of the APC while still serving on the board of OSSIEC,” he said.
Defending his tenure, Abioye highlighted the reforms and improvements introduced under his leadership, stating that the commission has embraced digital innovations and infrastructure upgrades, setting new standards for local government elections in the state. “The Masterminds have chosen to overlook the administrative and managerial best practices we have introduced at OSSIEC. They ignored our transparency, our media engagement, and the commendations we have received from reasonable individuals and organizations.”
He also took a swipe at the Executive Director of the Osun Masterminds, Professor Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, questioning his moral authority to criticize OSSIEC. “What moral stand does Prof. Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli have to badmouth me when he himself has been an aspirant several times on the platform of the APC? The so-called Masterminds are not serving the public but rather some ‘masters in their minds.’”
Concluding his remarks, Abioye reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring a credible electoral process in Osun State. “For us at OSSIEC, we are marching forward, and no sentiment or emotion will make us lose focus on the big assignment before us. Posterity is there to judge all of us”.
