Ogun insists on rotational governorship

In Ogun State, stakeholders unanimously demanded the rotation of the governorship position among the three senatorial districts in the state.

They asked for the devolution of power, removal of immunity clause, autonomy for local governments and abolition of joint account between states and local governments.

The participants also called for the removal of ambiguities in state creation, autonomy for state Houses of Assembly, uniform tenure of local governments and resource control by states.

The Ogun State people also rejected the proposed amendment to Section 135 and 180 (2) of the Constitution to guarantee a single of five, six or seven years for the president and governors.

They argued that the current system of two terms of four years for the respective offices should be maintained.

Although there was a large turnout of constituents for the exercise, political intrigues, underground horse-trading and mobilisation were apparent in the conduct of the exercise, especially over certain issues considered as crucial to governance and the political future of key political actors in the state.

The exercise held in the nine constituencies in the state, including Abeokuta South, Abeokuta North/Odeda/Obafemi-Owode, Ado-Odo/Ota, Egbado North/Imeko-Afon, Egbado South/Ipokia, Ifo/Ewekoro, Ijebu-Ode/Ijebu North-East/Odogbolu and Ijebu North/Ijebu East/Ogun Waterside and Ikenne/Remo North/Sagamu.

Representatives of the various political parties, government agencies, traditional rulers, trade unions, civil society groups, professional bodies, students and market women, besieged the various venues of the exercise, armed with their individual memoranda and agenda.

In many of the constituencies monitored by our correspondent, stakeholders unanimously  demanded rotational governorship among the three senatorial districts.

But issues such as creation of state police and indigeneship generated mixed reactions from the participants.

In Sagamu, where the constitution review for Ikenne/Remo North/Sagamu Federal Constituency was held, some local government chairmen vehemently kicked against calls for the scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commissions.

In spite of the fact that the council chairmen’s position contradicted that of the majority of the stakeholders, they vowed to make their separate presentation to the National Assembly through the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria.

The stakeholders had called for the scrapping of the SIECs in order for the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct all elections, including chairmanship and councillorship polls.

In Ijebu-Ode, the people, who gathered for the exercise in Ijebu-Ode/Ijebu North-East/Odogbolu Federal Constituency, asked for the creation of Ijebu State.