 |
| Judicial symbol for justice |
A lawyer, Mr. Kanmi Ajibola, has petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari and the senate president, Dr. Bukola Saraki over the conduct Osun State Government, Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s insistence on conducting the local government election in the state despite the ongoing suit against it may trigger constitutional crisis in the country.
The human rights lawyer, Mr. Kanni Ajibola stated this in a letter written to President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari asking him to caution the Osun State governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola.
The human rights lawyer, Mr. Kanni Ajibola stated this in a letter written to President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari asking him to caution the Osun State governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola.
Also the lawyer wrote a separate letter to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki; the Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen; and the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Idris Ibrahim, asking them to intervene in the matter.
A copy of the letter was made available to our correspondent in Osogbo on Sunday.
Ajibola said the governor and the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission’s insistence on going ahead with the local government election without waiting for the determination of the lawsuit was a threat to the nation’s democracy.
The lawyer also berated the state House of Assembly for allegedly conniving with Aregbesola to amend the Local Government (Administration) Law and deprive the electorate the right to elect chairmen to head various local government councils in the state.
The OSIEC had recently scheduled the council poll for January 2018 and announced that only councillorship election would be conducted and the councillors in each council would in turn elect the chairmen.
The letter read in part, “Aregbesola and the majority of lawmakers in the state, who are members the All Progressives Congress, in a condemnable, devastating connivance, purportedly amended the Local Government (Administration) Law CAP 72A, VOL.4, Laws of Osun State 2002 to abrogate the right of people to directly contest an election into the office of the chairman of a local government council.
“The abrogation, having affected the right granted by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the people of Osun State, a legal action has been taken against same in the court of law, which will give a legal view on the propriety of the abrogation and other allied constitutional matters on the issue.
“Based on this and many other matters, I headed for the court but in spite of these issues pending before the court and the service of the court processes on all the parties, Aregbesola insisted on going ahead with the conduct of local government election on Parliamentary System of Government.”
In this article:
A copy of the letter was made available to our correspondent in Osogbo on Sunday.
Ajibola said the governor and the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission’s insistence on going ahead with the local government election without waiting for the determination of the lawsuit was a threat to the nation’s democracy.
The lawyer also berated the state House of Assembly for allegedly conniving with Aregbesola to amend the Local Government (Administration) Law and deprive the electorate the right to elect chairmen to head various local government councils in the state.
The OSIEC had recently scheduled the council poll for January 2018 and announced that only councillorship election would be conducted and the councillors in each council would in turn elect the chairmen.
The letter read in part, “Aregbesola and the majority of lawmakers in the state, who are members the All Progressives Congress, in a condemnable, devastating connivance, purportedly amended the Local Government (Administration) Law CAP 72A, VOL.4, Laws of Osun State 2002 to abrogate the right of people to directly contest an election into the office of the chairman of a local government council.
“The abrogation, having affected the right granted by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the people of Osun State, a legal action has been taken against same in the court of law, which will give a legal view on the propriety of the abrogation and other allied constitutional matters on the issue.
“Based on this and many other matters, I headed for the court but in spite of these issues pending before the court and the service of the court processes on all the parties, Aregbesola insisted on going ahead with the conduct of local government election on Parliamentary System of Government.”
In this article: