Osun PDP Gives Aregbesola 21 Day Ultimatum to Conduct Local Govt Election

Abdulrofiu Agboola

The Osun state chapter of Peoples Democratic Party has issued a 21- day ultimatum to the state Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola to initiate processes for the conduct of local government elections in accordance with recent judgements of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

PDP in a press statement issued and signed by its Chairman, Honourable Soji Adagunodo, which was made available to CityMirrorNews today Tuesday in Osogbo said failure of the governor to hold the elections within a reasonable time frame will amount to a contempt of court.

Adagunodo hailed the decision of the Supreme Court on the verdict it delivered in the case SC/102/2013 between the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission and Governor Rauf Aregbesola last week Friday which nullified the dissolution of the OSSIEC by Aregbesola.

The court also directed that all entitlements of the Rtd. Justice Titus Oyeyemi who was the chairman of the electoral commission be paid in full by the state government.

Adagunodo said with the judgment of the apex court, Aregbesola is duty bound to immediately conduct elections into local governments in the state.

He made references to another decision of the Supreme Court where Justice Olabode Rhodes Vivous led four other justices to describe as “executive recklessness” the acts of state governors running local governments with caretaker committees.

The PDP chairman noted that the combined effects of the judgments have made any further running of the local governments by unelected persons illegal and unconstitutional.

Adagunodo said Aregbesola must also account for all monies disbursed to the ‘illegal caretaker committees and sole administrators’ in the last six years of his administration.

He said: “If the governor refuses to initiate processes for the conduct of local government elections within the next 21 days, the PDP in Osun state will commence legal action to commit anyone purportedly acting as council managers or sole administrators to court for contempt and also secure relevant consequential orders against the governor himself.

“And failure of the governor to hold such elections within a reasonable time frame and not later than August this year, will amount to a contempt of court and a breach of the express provisions of the constitution which Mr. Aregbesola swore to uphold on assumption of office”.

Adagunodo urged all stakeholders in the local governments in the state to remain vigilant as the custodians of the democratic power of choice who must not at any time be governed by anyone not freely chosen in an election.