By Omobolaji Adekunle, Abeokuta

In a bid to strengthen access to justice dispensation for the people of the State,  Ogun State House of Assembly has passed the State Magistrates’ Court (Amendment) Law, 2023.

The passage of the bill followed the presentation of the report of the House Committee on Justice, ethics and Public Petitions by its Chairman, Hon. Oluseun Adesanya, who also moved the motion for its adoption, seconded by Adegoke Adeyanju at a plenary presided over by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Oludaisi Elemide at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

The Bill was later read and adopted clause-by-clause before the Committee of the Whole, after which the motion for the third reading of the bill was moved by the Majority Leader, Yusuf Sherif, seconded by Adeniran Ademola and supported by other lawmakers through a voiced vote.

Consequently, the Deputy Clerk of the House, Barr (Mrs.) Funmilayo Adeyemi, took the third reading of the bill before the lawmakers, thereafter, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Oludaisi Elemide directed that the clean copies of the bill be transmitted to the State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun for his assent.

In another development, the Local Government (Amendment) Law, 2024, scaled second reading on the floor of the House with members submitting that the amendment was aimed at creating a full-fledged Department of Audit Investigation and Control from the existing Department of Finance and Accounts in the Local Government Administration, with a view to ensuring transparency, accountability and effective service delivery at the third tier of Government.

Members who spoke in favour of the bill including the Vice Chairman of the Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Dickson Awolaja, Honourables Oluseun Adesanya, Folawewo Salami and Yusuf Sherif stated that the amendment poised to ensure improved value for scarce resources of government, ensuring career progression of the Local Government staff, while ensuring a strong check and balance for the Local Government Councils’ accounting system.

In his remarks, the Speaker said the bill, when operational, was aimed at enhancing the principles of separation of powers and would bring about a more vibrant local government administration that would be more responsible in its finances.

The Speaker thereafter committed the bill to the House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs for further legislative action.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Benue State has accused the state government, led by Governor Hyacinth Alia, of masterminding the violent disruption of a Thanksgiving Mass organized by a House of Representatives member, Sesoo Gboko, in Konshisha Local Government Area of the state.

This incident occurred at Annunciation Catholic Rectory, in Tsuwe Daka, Shangev Tiev of Konsisha Local Government Area of Benue State, on Sunday.

The APC alleged that the thugs who disrupted the mass were sponsored by the Caretaker Chairman of Konshisha Local Government Council, Philip Achua and the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Aondowase Kunde.

Reacting to the development in a statement on Tuesday, the Benue Publicity Secretary of the APC, Daniel Ihomun, said: “This is one attack too many. The APC in Benue State views this as a clear deviation from the current desire for peace by communities in Benue State and an open invitation to anarchy and chaos by the Alia led administration in the state.

“The party clearly can no longer tolerate such acts of violence on its members which has now been extended to the body of Christ.

“The brazen and mindless attack on the House of God, and the House of Representatives member clearly confirms the re-introduction of thuggery and other social vices by the government of the day in Benue State.

“This is a clear violation of the freedom of association of the people enshrined as a fundamental human right that must be guaranteed by any responsible government.

“The party invites well-meaning Benue Citizens, Nigerians and all lovers of democracy to rise in condemnation of this dangerous phenomenon which is slowly but steadily taking root in Benue State under the Alia Administration.

“These unpleasant developments clearly demonstrate that the comments and declarations already made by the Governor, Fr. Hyacinth Alia that anyone who dare criticise his government or points a finger at him will have them chopped off and destroyed were beyond verbal threats.

“The party commends the maturity and the ever-peaceful disposition of Hon. Sesoo Ikpagher and the Parish Priest of the Annunciation Catholic Rectory, Tsuwe Daka even in the face of this unwarranted attacks by thugs appointed into government by Gov. Alia.

“We call on security agencies to up their game by ensuring fair play in the politics of the state as the wish and rights of the people to freely associate can never be suppressed by any force.”

The  Commissioner for Communication and Orientation in Edo State, Chris Nehikhare has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of relying on propaganda to stoke the people against the palace of the Oba of Benin as a strategy for them to win the election but vowed that it would not work for them.

Nehikhare stated this during a press briefing where displayed a purported APC whatsapp group that showed some members debating the rationality or otherwise of the strategy. He urged journalists to be neutral in their work ahead of the election.

According to him, “We all agreed that we are coming into election and there is so much madness in town. It has become clear that it is the intention of the opposition to drag the reputation of our Royal Majesty into the murky waters of their dirty politics.

“All findings have revealed that apart from generating very obnoxious materials on the social media, members of the APC have been seen openly propagating this distasteful and demeaning information against the Royal Palace.

“Clearly, they have resorted to weaponising a negative campaign against our traditional institution as their only strategy for the coming election because they do not have a sellable candidate and also lack intelligence to market their bad product. We however want to warn them that this disrespectful comment about our traditional institution is not a strategy for campaign and since they have no plan and have a defective candidate come September 2024, PDP shall trample upon them in a free and fair election to resounding victory.

“We have to be careful especially as politicians and those of us in government not to get dragged into this kind of cheap propaganda, journalists who have a role to play in these matters and the role is to be a neutral arbiter . If you see when a party takes lies and propaganda as strategy, that party has nothing to offer Edo people.

“We have to be careful of them, it is not our fault that the party lacks people with character, people with capacity or even people with intellect hence they ended up with the candidate which they have brought forward and it is obvious now that they are afraid to campaign for or with.

“As we speak till this very moment we have not heard anything of how they are going to better the lot of Edo people, all we hear is how they want to serve their pay masters, and to get cheap popularity they create stories, lies and propaganda to discredit a party that has done everything to improve the lives of Edo people, this government is the only government in Nigeria paying N70,000 minimum wage, we are not the biggest state receiving revenue or the biggest IGR but because our people matter to us, we have done that.”