. . . Those behind this are Enemies of State – Anambra Govt
By Jude Atupulazi
The Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, Anambra State, wants President Muhammed Buhari to stop monthly local government allocations to Anambra State pending the conduct of local government elections in the state
At a press briefing in Awka, Tuesday, the IPAC Media Director in the state, Mr Peter Okala, said the refusal of the current regime in Anambra State to conduct LG polls was an affront to democracy and called on the Federal Government of Buhari to suspend local government allocations to Anambra till the right thing was done, further describing the non-conduct of the said elections as illegal.
IPAC further accused the Anambra State Government of misleading the public by citing a purported agreement with political parties in the state not to conduct the LG polls because of the parties’ failure to agree and nominate candidates for the said elections.
The group said it was because of this that its caucus rose with a communique to condemn Government’s position.
But in his reaction to the call for the suspension of the state’s LG allocation, the Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Enlightenment, Mr C Don Adinuba, accused those behind the call as enemies of the state whose advocacy amounted to sabotage.
Further describing them as fifth columnists, he said they were taking politics too far by wanting the people of the state to starve.
Adinuba said the matter of LG elections was an issue of litigation at the Supreme Court, pointing out that anyone going ahead to conduct the elections would be inviting anarchy and committing a contempt of court.
He also accused them of asking the FG to assume powers it did not have and referred them to the experience of Olusegun Obasanjo who did such in the past. He wondered whom the FG would give Anambra’s money if it seized it.
‘These people deserve to be called enemies of the state; this is taking politics too far,’ Adinuba stated.
But IPAC through Okala, insisted on its call for the suspension of the state’s LG allocation, saying it was absurd to govern the state without the input of democratically elected council officials.
‘IPAC is presently writing relevant agencies in Nigeria to forthwith withhold the local government funds accruable to Anambra State while mandating the State Accountant General and other agencies in the state to account for the billions of Naira so far received from the Federation Account.
‘Other decisive steps taken by our great council is to organize a stakeholders meeting comprising the clergy, the traditional rulers, market leaders, civil society organizations and the mass media to enlighten them on this matter of urgency and have them become part of the campaign in order to stop the Obiano-led Administration from going on with these nefarious activities.
‘These years of locust have accounted for redundancy in the 21 local government workforce, hence the Anambra State Government has taken over the duties of workers and given it to their cronies to ensure that those funds from the internally generated revenue were coming directly to the state government,’ IPAC said.
