The Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) has scheduled the next state-wide local government council elections for Saturday, January 16, 2027.
The announcement was contained in a statement issued on Thursday and made available to journalists in Ibadan, as the electoral body assured residents of a transparent, credible and peaceful poll.
The commission’s Chairman, Babatunde Adeniyi, said the decision was reached during the commission’s inaugural meeting with its leadership and management team at the OYSIEC headquarters in Agodi.
He explained that the meeting focused on the commission’s statutory mandate to organise and deliver local government elections that are peaceful, credible and widely acceptable to stakeholders.
According to him, the council polls will hold between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. in all designated polling units across the 33 local government councils of Oyo State.
The OYSIEC chairman also disclosed that all electioneering activities would officially end at midnight on Friday, January 15, 2027. He added that any run-off or re-run election arising from the exercise would be conducted on Saturday, January 23, 2027.
The statement noted that the tenure of the current chairmen and councillors in the 33 local government councils would expire on May 23, 2027, in line with the Local Government Law of Oyo State of Nigeria (as amended).
It further explained that the commission derived its powers to issue the election notice from Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as amended), which mandates electoral bodies to give notice of elections not later than 360 days before the date fixed.
“Pursuant to the provisions of Section 28 of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as amended), Section 5(a), and Paragraph (1) of Schedule II of the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission Law, Cap 154, Laws of Oyo State, Nigeria, 2000, notice is hereby given that the local government council elections shall be conducted in all the polling units in the 33 local government councils in Oyo State on Saturday, January 16, 2027, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.,” the statement read.
OYSIEC urged political parties, security agencies, civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders to support the commission in ensuring the successful conduct of free, fair, credible and transparent local government council elections in the state.