Osun Members Of Red, Green Chambers Clash Over Parliamentary System In Local Governments

Calling for the reversal of parliamentary system introduced into the adminstration of local governments in Osun State, a member of the House of Representatives from Osun State, Hon. Oluwole Oke, representing Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency has described the system as unconstitutional.

In a statement issued in Abuja, Oke said the parliamentary system across the Local Governments of Osun State was an abnormality, which should be reversed without further delay.

Meanwhile, the Senator representing Osun Central in the red chamber, Dr Ajibola Basiru has described the claim of his counterpart in the green chamber, Mr Wole Oke representing Obokun/Oriade from Osun as unconscious dream and poor understanding of the provision of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The two opposite plights have shown the engagement in war of words by the two federal lawmakers over the practice of parliamentary system in the local government introduced by the previous administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in the state.

Oke, who enjoined the Osun State House of Assembly, in conjunction with the state executive, “to ensure a speedy reversal of the obnoxious system in order not to bungle the spread of dividends of democracy in the state.”

Basiru, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, said the motive of the lawmaker in raising this issue now is suspect, because the local government law has been operational more than two years ago. One wonders how he suddenly woke up to dream of unconscionably.

“While the Hon. Lawmaker may be excused for his crass ignorance of the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, we however, owe the people of his constituency and the institution he represents this explanation.

“Every discerning mind that read his unguided vituperations about the parliamentary system of government in the State of Osun would also have noticed that the Hon. Lawmaker did not refer to the Law that entrenched the parliamentary system in the State of Osun to back his envy induced treatise about the system.

“The question that readily comes to mind is was the omission deliberate and a calculated mischief or is Hon. Wole Oke just blatantly ignorant? We are of the view that the basis of Hon. Oke’s statement is traceable to his poor understanding of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the operations of local government administration.

“His ludicrous claim that the Law, being inconsistent with the provisions of the constitution is at best laughable. While the supremacy of the Constitution as demonstrated in Section 1(3) is not in contention, it has to be demonstrated that the law that established the parliamentary system of governance in the local councils of the State of Osun is consistent with any provision of the constitution.”