Osun Assembly passes bills to strengthen LG autonomy

The Osun State House of Assembly has passed the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (Amendment 1) Bill, 2024 and the Osun State Local Government Areas (Creation & Administration) (Amendment 7) Bill, 2024 into law.

The bills which are meant to bolster local government autonomy in the state were passed into law during plenary on Tuesday.

The key objectives of the bills, the spokesperson to Adewale Egbedun, the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Olamide Tiamiyu said in a statement, are to align the state’s legislation with the recent Supreme Court judgment that upheld the independence of local governments.

The statement said, “The Osun State Independent Electoral Commission Bill seeks to regulate the state’s electoral body to conduct elections in the recognised 30 local government areas.

“It also empowers the elected local government chairmen to appoint chief administrators into the Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) and the six area councils within their respective jurisdictions.

“Furthermore, the Local Government Creation and Administration Bill provides the elected local government chairmen with the authority to make appointments that will enable them to effectively discharge their duties.

“The chief administrators appointed to the LCDAs and area councils will work closely with the chairmen and report back to them.

“The passage of these bills is seen as a significant step towards strengthening the autonomy and decision-making capabilities of local governments in Osun State.”

The statement added that the legislation will be forwarded to Governor Ademola Adeleke for assent.

This move the statement disclosed aligned with the recent Supreme Court judgment that upheld the constitutional provisions for local government autonomy.

The apex court’s judgment sought to grant local government councils more financial and administrative independence from state governments.