The Osun House of Assembly, on Monday, passed for second reading bills to amend Osun local government areas creation and Osun electoral commission laws to conform to the Supreme Court judgment on local government financial autonomy.
The bills titled: “Osun State Local Government Areas Creation and Administration Amendment (No. 7) Bill, 2024 and Osun Independent Electoral Commission Amendment (No.1) Bill, 2024, scaled second reading after their policy thrusts were read.
While reading the policy thrust of the Osun Independent Electoral Commission Amendment (No.1) Bill, the Deputy Majority Leader, Adekunle Oladimeji said the amendment bill was in line with the Nigerian Constitution and Supreme Court judgment.
Oladimeji said that since the judgment grants financial autonomy to local governments and that the only local government recognised by law is the 774 in the constitution, which the state has to recorgnise.
He said that the Osun Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) in line with Section 197 of the Nigerian Constitution was to conduct, organise and supervise all elections into local council in the state.
Oladimeji said that the amendment of the OSIEC law was necessary now to avoid conflict with the Supreme Court judgment and to strengthen the local government system so people at the grassroots could enjoy the dividend of democracy.
Similarly, during the reading of the policy thrust of the Osun State Local Government Areas Creation and Administration Amendment, Mr Adewumi Adeyemi, lawmaker representing Obokun State Constituency, stated that Section 7(1) of the constitution provides for the existence and running of local government by elected officials.
Adeyemi added that section 8 of the constitution, however, empowers the state assemblies to ensure, through enacted laws, that local government administration exist and their financing is guaranteed.
He said that with the Supreme Court judgment, Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) and Area councils are not recognised by the constitution, as being among the 774 local government areas in Nigeria.
He said the Osun Local Government Amendment Bill will, when passed to law, take care of the local government structure and compositions of executives.
In their various contributions, other lawmakers stated the urgency and need for the two amendment bills to be passed.
The lawmakers urged for the accelerated passage of the bills, even as the Speaker, Adewale Egbedun, aligned himself with their resolution.