POLITICS Ogun announces postponement of local govt elections to 2021

Those jostling for the positions of local government chairmen and councillors in Ogun State may have to ‘calm down’ as government of the state said the election will not hold this year 2020, Ottagistreel reports.

The Ogun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Afolabi Afuape, said the council poll cannot be conducted this year.

According to Afuape, the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) is yet to be constituted by Governor Dapo Abiodun.

After the constitution of OGSIEC, Afuape disclosed that political parties would be given three months notice for the local government election, adding that two additional months would be needed for preparations.

Speaking on Rock City FM, Abeokuta, the Commissioner blamed the delay in the conduct of the council poll on the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it did not allow government to source for the huge amount of money needed for the election.

In his words, Afuape canvassed for the takeover of the local government elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

This, he said, will ensure the conduct of the election within the stipulated time and relieve state governments of the huge fund required for same.

Ottagistreel reports that politicians aspiring to be local government chairmen and councillors have been reaching out to people to make known their ambitions as they thought the election would be conducted soon.

However, Afuape said the state may conduct the council election in the next six months.

At the moment, the 20 local governments in the state are being run by transition committees who were appointed in January by Gov Abiodun.

The three-month tenure of the transition committees, Ottagistreel reports, has been extended two times by the governor, through the approval of the Ogun State House of Assembly.

But, the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the extension of the tenure of the local government caretaker committees as well as the delay in the conduct of the council election.

According to the PDP, the continuous extension of tenure of offices of “such illegal committees” is a calculated attempt to reduce the values of Local Government administration, thereby subjecting it to the whims and caprices of state governors