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The Chairman of the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission, Dr Joseph Aremo, has announced the indefinite postponement of the local government election in the state.
The development would be the second time the commission would postpone the elections earlier fixed for February and shifted to July.
Prior to the latest postponement, the commission had earlier scheduled to hold the council poll on Saturday, July 13, 2023.
Following the expiration of the tenure of the last executive of the local governments in August 2023, heads of local government administration had been at the helm of affairs in the 18 local government areas of the state.
While addressing stakeholders from various political parties in the state, in Akure, Aremo said no single political party complied with the guidelines of the proposed election, despite the issuance of guidelines for the election on schedule.
“Ours is to conduct an election that will usher in a democratic government at the local level. It’s unfortunate that no single party complied with the guidelines for the election.
“We are yet to receive the nomination of candidates, yet to verify and release it to the public for scrutiny,” he said.
In a swift reaction, the Ondo State Chairman of the Inter-party Advisory Council, Adesanya Olaoluwa, admitted that all political parties agreed to the terms, knowing that no election could take place without them.
“They now know our reasons. We want to see Mr Govenor. It is not that we don’t have trust in ODIEC. We know that they can conduct credible election but we want to see Mr Governor,” he maintained
The Peoples Democratic Party said ODIEC postponed the elections because the All Progressives Congress was no longer popular in the state.
The state Publicity Secretary, Mr Kennedy Peretei, said, “We knew all along that ODIEC will not conduct the LG election because the APC is not on the ground.”
