The Ogun State High Court in Abeokuta has rejected a plea by 16 political parties to indefinitely postpone the upcoming local government elections.
In a ruling on case AB/577/2024, Action Alliance & 15 Ors v. OGSIEC & Anor, Justice T. A. Okunsokan dismissed the parties’ claims that the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) acted unilaterally in setting the election date without consulting them.
Justice Okunsokan emphasized that neither the constitution nor relevant electoral laws require OGSIEC to consult political parties before fixing election dates, stating “that there is no provision in the constitution or the relevant electoral laws requiring OGSIEC to consult political parties before fixing election dates.”
The court also addressed concerns about the Ondo State gubernatorial election coinciding with the Ogun local government elections, deeming it an insufficient reason to postpone the elections. Consequently, the court upheld the previously announced election date of November 16, 2024.
*Election Timeline:*
– _November 16, 2024:_ Local government elections will take place
– _August 8, 2024:_ OGSIEC released guidelines for the conduct of the elections and held a stakeholders’ meeting
– _August 9, 2024:_ Political party campaigns commenced
– _August 26 – September 9, 2024:_ Party primaries took place
The Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission has been preparing for the elections, with Chairman Babatunde Osibodu announcing the election date and timeline.
