Ogun: Daniel seeks postponement of LG poll

Otunba Gbenga Daniel

Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has written to the state Independent Electoral Commission, seeking the postponement of local government election in the state.
Political parties in Ogun State had earlier faulted the state electoral commission over the scheduling of the local government election for May 21, few days before the handing over date to a new administration.
Some of the political parties had rejected the proposed election and also threatened to drag OGSIEC to court to prevent the commission from conducting the council poll.
But the governor, in a letter to the chairman of OGSIEC, Mr. Kayode Adeleye, urged the electoral body to reconsider the commission’s decision to conduct local government elections in the state on May 21.
A copy of the letter was made available to our correspondent in Abeokuta the state capital on Monday.
In the letter dated April 27, 2011, Daniel urged the commission to carefully study the Independent National Electoral Commission guidelines for the 2011 general elections with a view to conducting credible and acceptable council elections in the state.
He noted that it might not be feasible to conduct free, fair and acceptable council polls in the state within the time-frame for the elections as fixed by the state electoral body.
“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,” the letter read.
Adeleye could not be reached on Monday for comment on the governor’s letter but the spokesman for the electoral body, Mr. Lanre Ogunyinka, said the commission had not hold any meeting since the May 21 date for the election was fixed.
He said, “The OGSIEC is devoid of control of any sitting governor. The election affects all political parties, so a single individual cannot just change the date fixed by all political parties.
“The governor cannot interfere in the affairs of the commission as the commission is independent. So, a situation whereby a letter will be written to the commission and on the basis of that the date of the poll will be shifted does not arise since the commission is independent.”
By Francis Falola, Abeokuta          Courtesy Of: Punch