Despite court cases instituted by sacked councils’ bosses elected under the administration of former Governor Olusegun Mimiko, the Ondo State Government is set to conduct fresh local government election in the state.
The sacked councils’ bosses and councillors, whose cases are still pending in court, were dissolved by the incumbent Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu upon his assumption of office in 2017.
Meanwhile, months after the controversial sack of the council chairmen, the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC) has fixed December 1, 2018 for a fresh local government election across the state’s 18 council areas.
The Chairman of the commission, Professor Yomi Dinakin announced this while addressing a stakeholders’ meeting at the headquarters of the commission in Akure, the state capital.
He said the commission was operating in accordance with “Section 30 of the Electoral Act, 2010 ( as amended) and Schedule 4 paragraph 1 of the Local Government, Establishment and Administration Law ( cap 87) Laws of Ondo State”.
Prof Dinakin, who promised that the commission would ensure free, fair and credible election, emphasized that the 2018 guidelines indicate that chairmanship aspirants are to make available nomination fee of N50,000 while those seeking councillorship positions are to pay non-refundable nomination fee of N20,000.
He said further, “The commission will be totally independent, everybody will participate in the election. We are not going to be guided by the government. All we need is for the government to release the funds to us.
“We will follow the time-table to the letter, we will follow the rules and regulations and we will conduct credible local government election, we are not going to be tele-guided.”
ODIEC however said the use of the card reader machines might not be possible in the election due to logistic reasons from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The election will be conducted for eighteen local government chairmen and 203 councillors.
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