13 political parties reject Osun IPAC caretaker committee appointment

Thirteen registered political parties in Osun State on Saturday rejected the appointment of caretaker committee for the Inter-Party Advisory Council in the state.

IPAC is the umbrella body for all opposition political parties.

Addressing journalists in Osogbo on behalf of the parties that rejected the caretaker committee, the chairman of the Democratic Leadership Alliance, Tosin Odeyemi, described the purported appointment of a caretaker committee for Osun IPAC as a ‘joke taken too far.’

Odeyemi recalled how IPAC national body could not conduct election into vacant positions of the council in Osun after the expiration of the last chairman’s tenure, Victor Akande, who is also the state chairman of the Accord Party.

He also said Akande sought reelection despite being the chairman of the ruling party in the state, while he, then the chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party in Osun, also declared interest in the post of chairman of the council.

“On the scheduled date of the election, March 14, 2026, the process was stalled. The disruption was attributed to the absence of committee members mandated to conduct the election. The National Organising Secretary of IPAC, Chinyere O. Kalu, later informed stakeholders that the election had been postponed and that a new date would be communicated in due course.

“Since then, there has been no further communication from the IPAC National Secretariat. The state secretariat is not functioning, and there is effectively nowhere to direct official correspondence. But to our chagrin, the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) saddled with the responsibilities of promoting and sustaining a free, fair, credible, transparent, inclusive, and peaceful electoral environment in Nigeria, turned itself to a willing tools in the hands of politicians.

“National body of IPAC de-emphasised the values of tolerance, accommodation, and teamwork in the planning and organisation of political competition, all aimed at strengthening and deepening Nigeria’s democratic process, they went ahead, without carrying any stakeholders along, in putting in place a caretaker committee for Osun. This won’t stand,” Odeyemi said.

He said other political parties that have rejected the composition of the Osun IPAC caretaker committee include; “Labour Party, African Democratic Congress, Nigeria Democratic Congress, Zenith Labour Party, Action Democratic Party, National Democratic Party.

Others include, “Social Democratic Party, All Progressives Congress, Allied Peoples Movement, Democratic Leadership Alliance, New Nigeria Peoples Party, Action Alliance and African Action Congress.”

He queried the sudden composition of a Caretaker Committee when IPAC Constitution makes no provision for such an arrangement and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to disregard the caretaker committee.

The PUNCH reports that uncertainty overshadowed the election of new leadership for the Inter-Party Advisory Council in Osun State following the non-appearance of members of the committee in charge of the exercise at the venue.

The election that was being handled by a committee from the IPAC national secretariat in Abuja, and the exercise was scheduled to hold at the Osun State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Osogbo.

When our correspondent arrived at the venue around 11 a.m., all 19 political party chairmen had indicated their arrival by signing a register at the entrance to the INEC premises.

However, as of 2:14 p.m., when The PUNCH left the venue, the exercise had not commenced, and the situation was blamed on the absence of members of the committee expected to conduct the election.