29th August, 2011
Ondo State is now set for local government elections in the 18 local Governments as the Ondo State House of Assembly on Monday approved the list of the members of the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission (ODSIEC) sent to it by the State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko. The approval set the stage for fresh elections into the local government councils.
Similarly, following the approval of the Ondo State House of Assembly to the State Government’s request to re-constitute an interim caretaker committee for the 18 local government councils, pending fresh election, the State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko on Monday swore in new caretaker chairmen to man the councils in the interim with a charge to them to view their appointment as a call to service adding that they should commence work immediately.
He had dissolved the members of former Interim committees which had handed over council’s property in their possession to the Director of Local Government Administrations at their respective Councils.
Speaking at the inauguration of the new interim caretaker Committee members, Governor Mimiko stressed the need for the council caretaker chairmen and their colleagues to maintain accountability and put measures in place to achieve the desired result.
According to him, there was need for them deliver quality service at the grass roots and work for the people.His words: “You must do every thing to move your councils forward; you are to prioritise sanitation to ensure that our communities are neat. You must maintain mutual relationship with career officers in your councils because without their support, there cannot be any meaningful achievement and above all, you must not run away from your people but rather, you are to treat everybody as equal and also carry along everybody irrespective of their political parties because you because you are chairmen of all.†In accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Law, members of ODSIEC are to be in office for at least 90 days before elections can take place at the local government councils and with the approval of the ODSIEC list, politicking can now go on in the State pending when it is expected to announce an election time table.In the last two years, Interim Caretaker Committees had been manning the affairs of the councils at the 18 local government councils in the State following the dissolution of the former council executives put in place by the Dr Olusegun Agagu government by the incumbent government, a development which was sanctioned by the court which declared the council administration foisted on the State by Agagu as unlawful and illegal.