The governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has selected a new group of transition committee chairs notwithstanding the wave of protest that followed the decision to replace fired officials leading the 21 local government areas.
The House of Assembly has already approved their appointment.
The caretaker council chairmen were all fired by Soludo last month and told to turn over their positions to the senior staff members of their respective council districts.
The chairmen who were fired had served a total of two years in office because the governor would extend their terms every three months by merely writing the state’s House of Assembly leadership to request the extension.
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Discussions among state stakeholders were prompted by the sack.
While some had voiced hope that the governor would start the process of holding local government elections after being sacked, others maintained that there might not be an election in the near future if the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission, or ANSIEC, was not yet established.
A week later, the federal government was directed by an Abuja High Court to cease sending additional council funding to the state government until after elections had been held.
Chukwuebuka Mmeni, Esq., an Anambra lawyer, filed the lawsuit.
Many people applauded the action, including Mr. Valentine Ozigbo, the leader of the Labour Party (LP).
In a press release, Ozigbo pleaded with Soludo not to use Anambra State funds in an attempt to overturn the ruling because it was in the interest of Anambra people for elections to be conducted.
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When the Anambra State House of Assembly approved a bill in early June creating a state electoral commission, there was a ray of optimism for individuals looking to run for local government elections.
Many people who thought that this could expedite the election conduct procedure were relieved by this.
This anticipation was once more dashed last Saturday when a new group of appointments was read aloud on the Assembly floor to serve as local council area transition committee chairs for three months.
The list of 21 people that the governor sent to the House of Assembly to serve as the new transition committee chairmen was verified on Thursday.
Although it was stated that the transition committees would oversee local government administration for three months, it was evident that, similar to their predecessors, they may remain in office for much longer—perhaps up to a year or longer—due to frequent reappointments.
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“This exercise is in fulfilment of Section 208 of the Local Government Law of 1999 as amended,” stated Somtochukwu Udeze, Speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly.
Concerned parties have already begun denouncing the state governor’s disobedience in making the appointment.
In response, the Anambra Civil Society Network (ACSONET), headed by Comrade Chris Azor, voiced concerns about the transition committees’ composition.
According to him, the civil society wanted democracy to start at the local level.
“We feel worried about the development. However, we feel the governor may have nominated the transition committee members in order to avoid a vacuum.
“We implore the governor to make this the last transition to a guaranteed democracy at that level, as enshrined in Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution,” he said.
Furthermore, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Anambra State Chapter has called the current appointment a flagrant betrayal of democratic values.
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In a signed statement released on Sunday, PDP State Chairman Engr. Chigozie Igwe called the action a “theft of democracy” and denounced the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) government for not abiding by democratic procedures.
According to Igwe, “The local government is the foundation of democratic governance, and hijacking it is a recipe for disaster.
“Governor Soludo’s actions have deprived the people of Anambra State of essential amenities like schools, healthcare, markets, and infrastructure, despite approximately N195 billion accruing to local government areas over the past two years.
“Instead, the Soludo administration has allocated a paltry sum to its handpicked TC chairmen, leaving the people in dire need of basic services.
“This is gross mismanagement of public funds and a betrayal of the trust reposed in the government.”
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Given the increased level of insecurity in the state, the PDP cautioned that it would be unproductive to keep allocating large sums of money in the absence of elected local government councils.
The party further stated that the APGA’s activities have weakened Anambra State’s democracy and called for the holding of legitimate local government elections as well as a restoration to democratic governance.
The action was also denounced by the South East APC Young Progressive Forum organisation.
The forum’s national coordinator, Comrade Paschal Candle, stated that holding local government elections is a constitutionally mandated process and should not be something that any candidate for office should be promising anyone in a statement provided to media in Awka.
“The transition committee used by the governor to run the 21 local government areas is unconstitutional and it is supposed to be a makeshift thing, pending election, but you now find out that they are almost permanent, and their tenures are renewed every three months. That is not right.
“We are not appealing to the governor, we are only reminding him of what he should have done, which he hasn’t done. He is obligated to conduct local government elections because it is statutory.
“Section 7 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria stated that there must be democratically elected local government officers. So what is happening in Anambra is very disappointing.
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“At stake is trillions of Naira of local government funds. Between January and May 2024, all three tiers of government shared N5.759 trillion from the federation account. The 774 LGAs received N1.416 trillion on this figure. Yet at the Local Level, we are not seeing the development,” Candle stated.
Meanwhile, the state commissioner for Local Government, Community and Chieftaincy Matters, Hon Tony-Collins Nwabunwanne who spoke to Newsmen in his office said: “What they don’t know is that this government is ahead of them.
“Forget what they are saying, the Soludo administration only sent the bill for the constitution of Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission to the house because of the court order on local government funds.
“The kind of law the House of Assembly in Anambra is putting together is such that we will protect democracy at the grassroots.
“How many state governors have truly held Local Government elections, if not those selections they do? The beauty of it is that we have a governor who wants to do the right thing, and give the state a credible election. And I bet you, it will happen sooner than people think.”
“What they don’t know is that this government is ahead of them,” stated Hon. Tony-Collins Nwabunwanne, the state commissioner for local government, community, and chieftaincy matters, in a conversation with reporters in his office.
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“Forget what they are saying, the Soludo administration only sent the bill for the constitution of Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission to the house because of the court order on local government funds.
“The kind of law the House of Assembly in Anambra is putting together is such that we will protect democracy at the grassroots.
“How many state governors have truly held Local Government elections, if not those selections they do? The beauty of it is that we have a governor who wants to do the right thing, and give the state a credible election. And I bet you, it will happen sooner than people think.”
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