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Ogun State governor, Gbenga Daniel yesterday asked the Ogun
State electoral commission to postpone its plan to conduct elections into the
local governments in the state.
It was gathered that Mr Daniel had written the chairman of the
Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC), Kayode Adeleye, asking
him to reconsider his decision on the local government election. The letter
dated April 27, 2011 urged the commission to carefully study the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) guidelines for the 2011 general elections
with a view to conducting credible and acceptable council elections in the
state.
Mr Daniel posited that, for the success of the recent general
elections to rub off positively on the local elections, it might not be
feasible to conduct free, fair and acceptable council polls in the state within
the time-frame for the elections.
“It is my considered view, which is not in anyway binding on
your commission, that OGSIEC should take another look at the current INEC
guidelines,” Mr Daniel said in the letter. The Commissioner for Information and
Orientation, Sina Kawonise in a text message to NEXT confirmed the story,
saying, “Yes it is true”.
Parties disagree
The Ogun State electoral body had on April 18 announced its
decision to conduct elections into the state’s 20 local government areas which
are currently controlled by caretaker committees.
The commission had even called on interested contestants to pay
non-refundable fees of N50,000 for chairmen and N25,000 for councillors,
stressing that the proposed council elections were in compliance with the
powers conferred on the body by the 1999 Constitution and Ogun State Electoral
Law 2006.
In reaction to the electoral bodies announcement, some political
parties in the state rejected the proposed elections and also threatened to go
to court to prevent the commission from conducting the council polls.
