Gov. Gboyega Oyetola of Osun has forwarded the names of nominees for the board of the State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) to the House of Assembly for ratification and approval.
The Speaker of the Assembly, Timothy Owoeye, during the plenary on Tuesday in Osogbo, acknowledged the receipt of the letter conveying the names of the nominees from the governor.
He said the governor had exercised his powers under Section 197, Subsection 1(b) and Section 198 of the 1999 Constitution to constitute the board of the electoral body, assuring that the Assembly would screen the nominees.
He appealed to his colleagues to quickly carry out the exercise because of its importance.
Owoeye said the letter contained the names of seven members, with a legal practitioner, Segun Oladitan, as the chairman, while two members were selected from each of the three senatorial zones in the state.
According to him, the electoral body is responsible for conducting elections into the local government councils in the state.
The speaker directed the nominees to submit 35 copies of their curriculum vitae between Tuesday and Thursday, and to appear before the assembly for screening on May 28.
In another development, the speaker has issued a warning to CHAMS Nigeria Limited, the consultant responsible for payment of salaries to Osun workers, for failing to provide the assembly with the reports of its activities. He expressed displeasure with the attitude of the management of the company.
Owoeye said that since May 5 when the assembly had written the company to furnish it with reports of its activities, it had neither replied nor provided any explanation.
While stating that the company’s action was tantamount to gross disregard for the assembly, he stressed that Section 128 (1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) empowered it to disengage with the firm’s services.
“If they feel too big to respond to our request, we can make a resolution to the governor that we don’t want their services in the state again,” the speaker said.
Owoeye, therefore, instructed the Clerk of the assembly to write the company again to furnish the legislature with the information requested, failure of which, he said, necessary sanctions would be taken against it.