Party lovers in Ogun state have been forced to postpone their events slated for Saturday November 15 due to the local government elections in the Gateway state.
The Governor Dapo Abiodun-led state has slated tomorrow for the election to elect new officers to manage the 20 Local government areas in the state. As a result residents that have earlier decided to organise parties have now moved their events to another date.
This also comes as the state government has declared Friday November 14 public holiday, which according to the government is to enable civil and public servants to participate fully in electing their representatives at the grassroots level.
Some fun lovers who spoke with the magazine said they have no other option since the government has already restricted movement of people and vehicles within the period of the elections.
“We already fixed a wedding for tomorrow. But had to shift the date because of the election. Who will attend the event when vehicles are not allowed to move. Are your guests going to fly to the event centres? One person told the magazine.
Another person told the magazine that the burial ceremony of his father had earlier been scheduled before “the government decided to conduct the election. But the government is supreme. What are we going to do when the government has already made the decision for us. We have no option than to postpone,” he said.
A circular signed by the state head of Service, Kehinde Onasanya, on Thursday said the governor approved the holiday so that government workers could fully participate in the election.
The HoS said elections will take place in the 20 LGAs and 237 wards in the state, according to the guidelines provided by the election umpire, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The head of the workers in the state sadi the declaration of a work-free day is in line with “Governor Abiodun’s efforts to prioritise the welfare and participation of citizens in the democratic processes.”
The state is among some states in the country that recently decided to conduct LGAs elections following the July landmark judgment fo the Supreme Court affirming autonomy to the 776 LGAs in the country.
Analysts familiar with what is going on informed the magazine that the state governments are rushing to conduct the elections to avoid the seizure of allocations from the federal government.
