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Lagos: Sanwo-Olu Approves Key Appointments Ahead Of LG Elections

Published

4 months ago

Jul 18, 2024.

Governor Sanwo-Olu appoints six individuals to the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, including Justice Bola Okikiolu Ighile (Rtd) as Chairman, in preparation for upcoming local government elections.

Eko Hot Blog reports that the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has approved the appointment of six individuals to key roles within the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) in preparation for the forthcoming local government elections.

The appointed individuals are Justice Bola Okikiolu Ighile (Rtd) as Chairman, and Samson Ajibade, Oluwo Durojaiye, Metilelu Olusola, Aileru Abeeb Dapo, and Oladele Adekanye as members.

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This development was confirmed in a statement released on Wednesday by the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso. According to Omotoso, details of the inauguration ceremony will be made public soon.

Notably, on June 7, 2024, LASIEC initiated a significant review and amendment of its electoral laws to align with global election standards. This initiative is seen as a crucial step towards enhancing the electoral process.

During a stakeholders’ meeting focused on amending LASIEC’s laws and other electoral regulations, Ademola Gbadegesin, the Director of Elections Operations, emphasized the importance of citizen participation in local government elections. He highlighted that local government elections are the cornerstone of democracy due to their direct impact on communities.

“It impacts directly on the existential survival of the community people, aside from being an essential feature of modern participatory democracy,” Gbadegeshin said, adding that elections reflect the will of the people and ensure governance with legitimacy and accountability.

“To achieve this objective, there must be sustainable legal work.

“We will continue to engage all stakeholders and other critical interests in elections and the electoral process so as to continue to deliver our mandate with openness and credibility,” he noted.

This online media platform reports that the latest move by Governor Sanwo-Olu’s administration comes following the Supreme Court’s decision on Thursday, which allowed local councils to manage their finances independently and banned the use of federal funds by caretaker committees.

Just days after the ruling, more than a dozen states had scheduled elections for their local governments.

Sanwo-Olu Appointments LG Elections

States that have begun preparations for their local government elections include Kaduna, Kogi, Bauchi, Katsina, Osun, Enugu, Benue, Rivers, Jigawa, Imo, Kebbi, Abia, and Anambra.

The Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for state governors to control the funds designated for local government councils.

In the ruling by Justice Emmanuel Agim and his seven-member panel, it was decided that the 774 local government councils across the nation should handle their finances independently.

This decision was reached in the case: SC/CV/343/2024, which was brought by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), against the 36 state governors.