The statement, signed by Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr Toye Arulogun, quoted the state Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Mr Oluseun Abimbola as stating that Order 3 of the interim injunction forbidding INEC from releasing the voters register to OYSIEC for conduct of elections into LGs and LCDAs had been discharged by the court.
It would be recalled that the state had said it would contest the legality of the interim injunction emanating from the creation of the 35 Local Government Development Areas (LCDAs), in the suit FHC/ABJ/CS/16/2017, which restricted the state from conducting local government election.
The order gives the OYSIEC the leeway to conduct elections in the 33 local government areas of the state only while ruling on the creation of 35 LCDAs was still pending in court.
The statement further quoted the Attorney General as saying that, “In respect of the case filed by Oyo Baales challenging the LCDAs and in which the court had issued an injunction preventing the conduct of elections into LG&LCDAs. I made an application to the court to discharge the part of the Interim order preventing our conduct of elections into LGs since the subject matter of the suit is only on the propriety of LCDAs and not LGs.”
“The other counsels in the matter all conceded to the point as canvassed by the Oyo State Government on this matter. Consequently, the Order 3 of the Interim injunction forbidding INEC from releasing voters register to OYSIEC for conduct of elections into LGs and LCDAs has been discharged by the court. Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) is now at liberty to conduct LG elections only, but not into LCDAs which is still pending in court.”
The statement described the order as an attestation to the desire of the state government to conduct local government election.
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