PDP ready for Ogun LG poll – Secretary

The Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, Dr Sunday Solarin, on Tuesday, said the party was ready to take over grassroots governance in the state.

 Solarin stated this while reacting to the notice of the timetable for the 2024 local government elections as released on Tuesday by the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission.

The Chairman of OGSIEC, Mr Babatunde Osibodu, in a statement, said the LG poll had been fixed for Saturday, November 16, 2024.

 Solarin said, “We welcome the development; it is statutory after all.  There must be another election to elect another setup people, once those who were there are done with their tenure.

“The PDP is ready to take over grassroots governance in the state. We are ready for the elections. Our members are already warming up and we shall participate fully in the elections, hoping that no games will be played and there will be a level playing ground for all.”

The Chairman of OGSIEC, Osibodu, had, in a statement, announced that: “Thursday, August 8, 2024 is scheduled for the release of guidelines for the conduct of the elections and stakeholders meeting while campaigns by the political parties begin on Friday, August 9.

“The political parties are also scheduled to hold their party primaries between Monday, August 26, and Monday, September 9, 2024.”

Governor Dapo Abiodun’s   Special Adviser on Media and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, had last month described as fake news a statement circulating on social media announcing that the next local government elections in the state would hold on October 26, 2024.

The current LG officials in Ogun State will complete their tenure about a week ago.

The recent Supreme Court judgment barred the usual practice of appointing a caretaker committee by the state governors to run the affairs of the local government.

The apex court has equally insisted on having a democratically elected government at the local government and that a local government without a democratically elected government would not be able to have access to the monthly allocation from the Federal Government.