Edo Council Elections Set For April

JETHRO IBILEKE/Benin

Nigeria’s Edo State has announced a date for the council elections, last held about six years ago.

The Chairman of the recently reconstituted Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC), Mr. Solomon Ogoh, Wednesday announced the plan for the conduct elections to elect Chairmen and Councilors into the 18 local government councils in the state.

The elections will be the first in over four years of the government of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

According to a notice of election issued yesterday in Benin by the Chairman of EDSIEC, Mr. Solomon Ogoh, “elections to the offices of chairmen and councillors to the eighteen (18) local government councils of the state shall be held on Saturday, 20 April 2013,” adding that details of the procedure for the conduct of the elections shall be published in the time-table to be issued by the Commission soon.

The last time elections to local government councils in the state were last held in 2007 under former Governor Prof. Oserhiemen Osunbor. The council executives could however not run their three year tenure to completion following the disolution of the executives in October 2010, justb two months to the expiration pf their tenure by Governor Oshiomhole.

The state government thereafter constituted caretaker committees to run the council, an action the State high Court declared illegal last year, following a suit filed by one Tony Okonigene, challenging the legality of Caretaker Committees.

Meanwhile, the State House of Assembly late last year declared the administration of local government by caretaker committees illegal and ordered dissolution of the caretaker committees.