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Osun Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, on Wednesday, swore in 389 newly-elected councillors.
The Osun State Independent Electoral Commission ( OSIEC ) had, on January 27, conducted parliamentary local government election.
The News Agency of Nigeria also reports that the commission, on January 28, announced that all the 389 candidates of APC won the councillorship election.
OSIEC further stated that elected councillors would be running a parliamentary administrative system at the local government tier, with the councillors electing the chairmen from their group.
Aregbesola, while performing the swearing-in ceremony, in Osogbo, said that his administration adopted the parliamentary system of government in fulfillment of the wishes of the people.
The governor said that it was the overwhelming wish of the people as stated in a report of the committee on political reforms that parliamentary system of government be adopted.
He averred that the experience in the First Republic would attest to the fact that parliamentary system deepens democracy and offers far greater political representation than any other system.
The governor argued that the decision to adopt parliamentary system of government was also in fulfilment of Section 7 (1) of the Nigerian constitution.
Aregbesola said that adopting a new system was not against the constitution or contrary to the tenets of democracy, but, rather, helps to galvanise good governance and effective representation.
“In a parliamentary system, decisions are taken collectively and must be agreed upon by the majority in the house.
“This system saves campaign cost and reduces the impetus for corruption, in that a candidate only needs to campaign in his or her constituency.
”This is unlike in the executive system, where a presidential candidate must tour the whole country and a governorship candidate must tour the whole state, while a chairmanship candidate must tour the entire local council,’’ he said.
Aregbesola, however, charged the councillors to be change agents that would transform governance in their local communities and deepen democratic practice with quality representation.
“You must, therefore, listen to your people and give them access. Your status has placed you in a position of leadership, but not in a position of supremacy and tyranny over the people,’’ he said.
In his remarks, the Speaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Najeem Folasayo Salam, said the adoption of parliamentary system was strictly in line with the constitution of Nigeria.
Salaam said that the House approved the parliamentary system to govern the people at the grassroots, having considered its numerous advantages over other systems of government.
