LG poll: Ex-NBA chairman seeks committal of Osun Speaker, others to prison

Osun State Speaker, Rt. Hon. Timothy Owoeye

A former Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Ilesa branch, Barrister Kanmi Ajibola has asked the court to commit to prison the Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Timothy Owoeye, and the chairman of the state’s Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC), Mr Oladunjoye Oladitan over their insistence to conduct the council election in the state on 15^th October.

Others listed by Ajibola to be jailed by the court are the seven members of OSIEC; the state Attorney-General, Barrister Femi Akande; and the Clerk of the House of Assembly, Mr Simeon Amusan. 

The human right activist, who filed a contempt charge at the state High Court, Ilesa Division on Thursday against the respondents, alleged that the affected persons deliberately ignored the case filed before the court since 1^st August this year on the local government elections.

Ajibola had approached the court seeking, among other reliefs, an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the lawmakers from amending the State of Osun Local Government Area Law and State of Osun Local Government Areas (Amendment) Law pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit, “the law having being the subject matter of dispute in this suit”.

He also sought the court order restraining OSIEC from conducting elections into the local government councils in the state, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

The legal practitioner said that, instead of the respondents, including the state governor, Alhaji Isiaka Oyetola and 14 of the registered political parties, to stop forthwith all procedures leading to the polls, the defendants, particularly OSIEC, intensified efforts towards conducting the exercise.

Ajibola cited the party primary conducted last Saturday by the All Progressives Congress for the selection of the chairmanship candidates to content the election, as part of the processes which the state electoral umpire participated in.

He therefore applied to the court for an order for the committal of the respondents to the Correctional Centre for “having disobeyed the presumably granted order of this court ascribable to the motion on notice dated the 1^st day of August 2022”.

The court is yet to hear his case.