LG Election: Ogun State Government And Opposition Parties On Collision Course

The Ogun State chapter of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has vowed to resist any attempt by Governor Dapo Abiodun to extend the tenure of incumbent local government chairmen or appoint caretaker committees to administer the affairs of local government councils. The tenure of the current council chairmen and councillors is set to expire on July 26, 2024.

According to the state Chairman of IPAC, Abayomi Sanyaolu, the Supreme Court’s recent judgment granting financial autonomy to local government councils has put an end to the practice of appointing caretaker committees to run the councils. Sanyaolu stated.

“As their tenure is ending by July 26, we are ready for a showdown with the governor, because he cannot appoint caretaker committees for the local governments, it is against the Supreme Court judgment, and he cannot extend the tenure of those democratically elected chairmen; they must vacate their posts on July 26.”

Sanyaolu further emphasized that the governor cannot conduct an election within two months, and must give a three-month notice before the election. He also stressed that the Office of Local Government Administration should take over the affairs of the local government, and not the state electoral commission.

“The governor cannot continue to deprive local governments of their entitlements; this is why we are calling for total autonomy for local government administration in the country. The governor alone cannot see to the affairs of all the 23 wards of the 20 local government areas of the state”, Sanyaolu added.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State has also joined the fray, vowing to oppose any attempt by the governor to undermine local government administration in the state. The party’s Publicity Secretary, Akinloye Bankole, stated.

“There is no need for any state, and Ogun State, in particular, to begin to drive or initiate a process of conducting another local government election. Every sensible government should know that the recent judicial pronouncement of the Supreme Court is a law on its own. We are aware that the ruling APC government in Ogun State is largely illogical, and such senselessness would be vehemently opposed as it constitutes flagrant disobedience to the Supreme Court decision.”

However, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State has expressed its readiness to contest and win the next local government election in the state. The party’s Publicity Secretary, Tunde Oladunjoye, stated.

“The Supreme Court judgment does not affect Ogun State, because the state has a democratically elected government. The Supreme Court indeed talked about democratically elected local government administration, but the court has not precluded the State Independent Electoral Commission from conducting elections into the local governments to the best of my understanding of that judgment.”

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Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Ogun State Electoral Commission, Babatunde Osibodu, has assured that the state will soon commence the process of the local government election. The development is expected to be a litmus test for the governor and the ruling APC in the state, as they face mounting pressure from opposition parties to conduct a free and fair election.

The crisis is coming at a time when the state is preparing for the local government election, and the tension is building up among the political parties in the state. The opposition parties are insisting that the governor must respect the Supreme Court judgment and conduct a free and fair election, while the ruling APC is adamant that it will win the election and continue to control the local government councils.

The development is being closely watched by political observers in the state, who are predicting a showdown between the governor and the opposition parties. The outcome of the crisis will determine the direction of local government administration in Ogun State and the fate of the governor’s political legacy.