The Ogun State High Court, sitting in Abeokuta, the state capital, on Tuesday, dismissed a request by 16 political parties in the state seeking to postpone the proposed local government elections indefinitely.

Delivering judgment in AB/577/2024 Action Alliance & 15 Ors v. OGSIEC & Anor, the presiding judge, Justice T. A. Okunsokan, rejected the claims of the political parties that the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) acted unilaterally and dictatorially by setting the date for the local government elections without prior consultation with the political parties.

Justice Okunsokan firmly held “that there is no provision in the constitution or the relevant electoral laws requiring OGSIEC to consult political parties before fixing election dates.”

The court also stated that “the claim by the parties that the Ondo State gubernatorial election would take place on the same day as the Ogun local government elections does not constitute a legitimate reason for asking the court to compel OGSIEC to postpone the elections in the state.”

The court thus upheld the previously announced date for the election, scheduled for 16 November 2024.

PUNCH