A member of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Mr Sunday Olajide, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) to fix a date for the election to fill the vacant Akure South/North constituency seat.

Olajide stated this in an interview with newsmen on Tuesday in Akure.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, had declared the Akure South/North federal constituency seat vacant following the death of former occupier, Adedayo Omolafe, who died earlier in 2021.

Olajide, who represents Akure Constituency II in the Ondo State House of Assembly, said INEC should as a matter of urgency fix a date for the conduct of the election so that the two local governments would not be shortchanged in the scheme of things at the National level.

Olajide, who is the Chairman House Committee on Appropriation and vying for the vacant seat, said Akure people would be marginalised if the seat is not filled within the shortest period of time by INEC.

“The major preoccupation of a legislative member is to participate in law making, in the process, does oversight functions and try to be the eyes, the ears and the mind of his people in the national assembly.

“As of today, the Akure South/North Federal constituency does not have a representative and this will affect so many things.

“We don’t have anybody championing our course and come to think of it, it is at a time that the budget is going on and by the virtue of my own experience as a lawmaker and Chairman, Finance and Appropriations, I know the importance of budget – that it is a time where you plan and prepare for what will happen in the next fiscal year.

“That is to say, which project will go to which place, will be determined now.

“Our representative at a time like this will be the one to champion our course to make sure that projects that will benefit people of Ondo State are injected into the budget but unfortunately, we don’t have such person now.

“We know the importance of budget, we know how it can be used to benefit the people and our presence at this point will be used to champion the course of our people.

“My advice to the electoral body is to make a pronouncement for a by-election for the vacant seat of Akure South/North federal constituency for election to be conducted, so that we would not be cheated and short changed in the process,” he said.

Ebonyi SEMA records 24 disaster cases, gets N200m intervention for 4,500 farmers

He appealed to INEC to fix a date for the election so that the elected representative of the people would have inputs into the budget process going on at the national level. (NAN)