… Stakeholders Kick
By Ikeugonna Eleke
Despite the wave of protests that trailed the move to replace sacked appointees manning the 21 local government council areas as transition committee chairmen in Anambra, the State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has defiantly appointed a new set of chairmen, just as their appointment has been confirmed by the State House of Assembly.
Last month, Soludo sacked all the council chairmen, ordering them to hand over to the most senior staff of their council areas. The sacked chairmen had stayed for a cumulative two years in office, as their tenure was being renewed every three months by the governor who simply writes the leadership of the House of Assembly in the state, asking for a renewal of their tenure.
The sack had sparked debate among stockholders in the state. While some had expressed optimism that with the sack, the Governor may commence a process for the conduct of Local Government Elections, others contended that without the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission, ANSIEC, in place yet, there may be no elections in sight.
A week after, a High Court in Abuja ordered the Federal Government to stop further remission of council funds to the state government, pending when elections were conducted.
The suit was instituted by an Anambra Lawyer, Chukwuebuka Mmeni, Esq.
The move was hailed by many, including a chieftain of the Labour Party, in Anambra State, Mr Valentine Ozigbo. Ozigbo, in a press release, told Soludo not to expend monies belonging to Anambra State trying to upturn the judgement, as it was in the best interest of Anambra People for elections to be conducted.
A glimmer of hope surfaced for those seeking local government elections when, early June, the Anambra State House of Assembly passed a bill for the constitution of a State Electoral Commission. This gladdened the minds of many who felt that this could speed up the process for the conduct of elections.
But that hope was again dashed last weekend when a list of a new set of appointees was read on the floor of the House of Assembly as those to work for three months as Transition Committee Chairmen of local council areas.
Meanwhile, on Thursday the Anambra State House of Assembly confirmed the list of 21 persons forwarded to them by the governor as new Transition Committee Chairmen.
Even though it was stated that the transition committees were to manage the administration of local government areas for three months, it was clear that they may stay well over a year or more through constant reappointments, just as their predecessors.
Somtochukwu Udeze, Speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly, said, ‘This exercise is in fulfilment of Section 208 of the Local Government Law of 1999 as amended.
Already, stakeholders in Anambra State have started condemning the defiance of the state governor for going ahead to make the appointments. All the local government chairmen appointed are deemed to be subservient to Soludo, and this has been feared as a development that could stifle development in the grassroots.
Anambra Civil Society Network (ACSONET) led by Comrade Chris Azor, in his reaction, expressed concern at the constitution of the transition committees. He said civil society desired to see democracy at the grassroots.
‘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.
Also, the Anambra State Chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) described the recent appointments as a blatant disregard for democratic principles.
PDP State Chairman, Engr. Chigozie Igwe, who disclosed this in a signed statement on Sunday, described the move as a theft of democracy, while condemning the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Government, for not adhering to democratic processes.
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 ₦195 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.’
The PDP warned that continuing to allocate substantial funds without Elected Local Government Councils was counterproductive, particularly in the face of heightened insecurity in the state. The party added that APGA’s actions had undermined democracy in Anambra State, demanding a return to democratic governance and the conduct of proper local Government Elections.
Also, a group, South East APC Young Progressive Forum, has condemned the move.
In a statement made available to journalists in Awka, the National Coordinator of the forum, Comrade Paschal Candle, said conducting Local Government Elections was a statutory thing which was enshrined in the constitution, and not something that any aspirant to a position should be promising anyone.
‘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 elections, 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 states that there must be democratically elected local government officers. So what is happening in Anambra is very disappointing.
‘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 of 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 Fides in his office, said: ‘What they don’t know is that this government is ahead of them.
‘Forget what they are saying that 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 which people are talking about.
‘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.’
Despite the Commissioner’s assurances, it is uncertain if many will believe the Anambra State Government, having seen that past promises were not fulfilled. Also, many will remember the promise given by Soludo while campaigning that he would conduct Local Council Elections within six months of being sworn in, a promise that was not kept.
However, the passing of a bill by the state assembly for the establishment of a state electoral body is the biggest sign yet that the Soludo Administration may have finally decided to conduct the polls, even though it may take some time. For now, it is still a game of wait and see.
Additional report by Jude Atupulazi
