A Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan on Wednesday stopped the conduct of the planned Oyo State local government election over the creation of wards.
The election, which was scheduled to be held on May 12 was put on hold by the court.
The court judgment favoured some leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress who instituted a court case in the state over the creation of wards.
Some aggrieved members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) from Ibarapa East Local Government had approached the Federal High Court over the creation of new wards, seeking an interim order to suspend the conduct of council poll slated for May 12, 2018, in the state.
Justice Joyce Abdul-Malik of Federal High Court 2 in her brief ruling on the motion, granted the prayers of the aggrieved parties, retraining OYSIEC from conducting election into the newly created wards pending the determination of the substantive suit.
The interim relief in favour of the aggrieved APC members was made in respect of the new wards’ delineation by the state key government, restraining OYSIEC from conducting election into the new wards.
Recall that Insideoyo.com had earlier reported that elections into local government areas and local council development areas in Oyo State will hold on May 12, 2018
The elections, which should have taken place in February 2017, was suspended following an Abuja Federal High Court order instituted by some traditional rulers and community heads over contentious issues in of the newly created LCDAs.
The Baales agreed to withdraw the case in December 2017 and the government got the go-ahead to conduct the elections.
This is coming few weeks after the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, challenged governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC to immediately test their party’s popularity among Nigerians by conducting free, fair and credible local council elections in states under their control.
The PDP said this was the only way the APC could test its level of acceptance in the country.
