The Osun Local Government Parliamentary System is not in contrast with the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as being misunderstood in different forms.
The system which provides for only parliamentarians at the local government setting operates with Councillors; a new method of governance away from the customary presidential system where the Chairman exercises full Executive Powers as practiced over the years.
In the new arrangement, there will still be the acclaimed “Local Government Chairman” but not elected. The chairman is a product of the Councillors who are lawmakers at the council level. He/She is elected by his/her colleagues who have been duly elected by citizens of respective wards across the state.
The arrangement is not in any way an aberration of the 1999 constitution as it fully defines the relevance of Section 7(1) of Nigeria’s Constitution and Section 22 of the LG(Administration) Law of Osun State 2002 as amended.
The elected Chairman among other councillors will exercise full executive powers over the local government just as the Prime Minister does in other parliamentary democracies.
The new system reduces cost of governing the third-tier of government, eliminates local government wide campaigns by prospective LG Chairmen and their deputies as well as curbing wastage in providing for two more offices since the Chairman and Vice Chairman are councillors and maintain their status quo as Councillors.
A good attribute of this is that the chairmen and vice-chairmen can be removed and replaced if they under-perform or lose the confidence reposed in them by their colleagues.
Credit: Ileowo Kikiowo
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