The Osun State House of Assembly passed two bills related to local government electoral laws for a second reading on Monday (yesterday, July29).
This development came against the backdrop of the Supreme Court’s recent judgment upholding the financial autonomy of local governments.
The bills, titled Osun State Local Government Areas Creation and Administration Amendment (No. 7) Bill, 2024, and Osun Independent Electoral Commission Amendment (No.1) Bill, 2024, advanced to the second reading stage after their policy thrusts were presented.
While discussing the Osun Independent Electoral Commission Amendment (No.1) Bill, Deputy Majority Leader Adekunle Oladimeji argued that the amendment aligns with the 1999 Constitution and the Supreme Court’s judgment.
In a related development, legal practitioner and human rights activist, Tope Temokun has sued the Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, over the latter’s decision to appoint caretaker committees to manage local governments instead of conducting local government elections.
Chairman of the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC), Dr. Joseph Aremo, had previously announced the indefinite postponement of the local government election, which was initially scheduled for July, citing the non-compliance of political parties with the election guidelines as the reason for the postponement.
The lawsuit listed Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Kayode Ajulo, and ODIEC as the first, second, and third defendants, respectively.
