The Osun state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has issued a 21- day ultimatum to the state Governor Mr. Rauf Aregbesola to initiate actions towards holding local government elections in accordance with recent judgement of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
The Party also hailed the decision of the Supreme Court of Nigeria on the judgement 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 the governor and directed that all entitlements of the Rtd. Justice Titus Oyeyemi-led OSSIEC be paid in full by the state government.
In a release issued by the State Chairman, Hon. Soji Adagunodo in Osogbo yesterday, the party said “with the judgement of the apex court of the land on this matter, the state governor was duty bound to immediately conduct elections into Local Governments in the State”.
Adagunodo said 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.
The Osun PDP also made references to another decision of the Supreme Court where Justice Olabode Rhodes Vivous led four other justices of the highest court to describe as “executive recklessness” the acts of state governors running local governments with caretaker committees.
He noted that the combined effects of these judgements have made any further running of the local governments by unelected persons as illegal and unconstitutional.
Adagunodo said Governor Aregbesola must also account for all monies disbursed to these illegal caretaker committees and sole administrators in the last six and a half 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.
The party also 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.
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