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By Madu Obi
Stakeholders in Anambra State have demanded immediate conduct of local government election in the state, describing the continued use of the caretaker committees as an aberration.
At their meeting in Awka, they called on Governor Chukwuma Soludo to feel the pulse of the people on the issue, recalling that the last local government election in the state was conducted 10 years ago during the administration of former Governor Peter Obi.
The meeting was attended by the leadership of the Inter Party Advisory Council, IPAC, Civil Society Organizations, organized labour, Ohaneze Ndigbo, as well as media practitioners.
The Director of Strategy at the African Center for Leadership, Strategy and Development, Mr. Itia Otabor, whose organization convened the sensitization meeting, lamented the recent renewal of local government transition committees for the 21 local government areas of the state, hoping that it would be last.
He said: "We are also hoping that the governor will publicly commit himself to conducting local government election. That is the wish of most stakeholders which they have been expressing since the last stakeholders meeting we held on December 7, 2023."
"From what we have seen, most Anambra people are desirous to see the conduct of LG election and put a stop to the use of caretaker committee."
"The use of caretaker committee is even against the constitution of the country and since the governor is a progressive, coupled with the fact that this is something he committed himself to during the campaign, he will not disappoint the people."
"We have planned some advocacy visits to some key institutions to further press that the caretaker committees recently appointed would be the last in the state."
"We are happy that the last stakeholders meeting attracted so much attention around the world and everybody was saying the same thing, which is that Anambra State is overdue for local government election. We had expected that being a listening government, this administration ought to have felt the pulse of the citizens on this issue."
"It is so disheartening that instead of us moving in the trajectory where by now, there should be signs on ground that the election will be conducted before his second year anniversary, we heard the unfortunate news of the renewal of the caretaker committees."
"For the local government election to hold, there are certain statutory matters that need to be resolved, such as the constitution of the State Independent Electoral Commission, ANSIEC. The governor made the promise to conduct this election during his inauguration and we need to hold him accountable to that promise".
The Director of the International Peace and Civic Responsibility Center, IPCRC, Awka, Comrade Chris Azor said Governor Soludo promised to conduct the local government election within two years of his inauguration, adding that his two years will end on March 17 this year and yet there are no signs of the election."
He said: "The governor himself doesn’t need to come overnight and conduct this election; there are processes. The first process is to constitute ANSIEC. What he should do is to send the names to the State House of Assembly for approval and they will start work."
Some development partners are ready to come in once this first step is taken and this is an opportunity to leverage on the foreign assistance.
"It is unfortunate that Anambra, as a state, should be found in this situation.
ANSIEC workers have been there in the past 10 years and they have been collecting their salaries and emoluments and getting their promotions, even when no elections have been conducted."
"Those people are prepared to work, but they are not given the opportunity. Even the party in power needs the local government structure to operate effectively"
The state chairman of IPAC, Chief Uche Ugwuoji said his council will soon hold a meeting with the state government to discuss the issue of local government election.
" I believe that after that meeting,they will see reason to conduct the election. We know their reason for not conducting the election, which is to continue to usurp the funds of the local governments, but IPAC will do everything humanly possible to see that the election is conducted", he added.
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