The Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC), yesterday, said that the public holiday had prompted it to extend its timeline for the party primaries ahead of the local council elections in the state.

Chairman of OGSIEC, Babatunde Osibodu, in a statement, said that the extension was a result of political parties expressing concerns that the holiday would disrupt their ability to organise primaries effectively and as such called for a slight adjustment of the election timetable.

He said that in response, OGSIEC decided to extend the primaries to Thursday, September 19, 2024, to allow political parties in the state to have more time for preparation.

The statement further stated that the Commission had also extended the collection period for Personal Data Forms CF001 and CF002 to Monday, September 23, 2024, to ensure that all parties have sufficient time to complete the necessary processes.

It also added that OGSIEC has addressed concerns about administrative fees where the chairmanship fee to be paid by political parties has been reduced from N250,000 to N200,000, while male councillorship candidates will now pay N100,000, and female councillorship candidates will pay N50,000 only.

The statement noted that despite the changes, all other aspects of the election timetable remain unchanged. It, therefore, said that the adjustments would ease pressure on political parties and encourage broader participation in the upcoming elections.