The National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC,), Chief Ralphs Okey Nwosu has vowed to challenge Anambra State governnent in a bid to stop it from going ahead with the local government elections scheduled to hold September 28.
Nwosu in a chat with newsmen, yesterday, pointed out the need to properly plan the election sand give all parties keen in the pills a level- playing field.
According to him, the governor’s plan is to install an illegal and non-Independent electoral body to sweep polls and install puppets who he claimed will be used to mismanage the council funds.
He further posited that the haste to conduct the polls is informed by hidden agenda of Governor Soludo to conduct the local Council polls before the National Assembly concludes the passage of the law transferring power to conduct the council is Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and claim first in time principle.
Nwosu said that the governor’s plan, whether he fist conducts the pills and becomes is immaterial as the move is unlawful and in conflict with the federal legislation and law. He said that the national and State leaderships of the Inter-party Advisory Council, IPAC, will stop at nothing to ensure all lawful steps are used to stop Governor Soludo.
Nwosu noted that the haste with which Soludo installed the Anam bra State Independent Electoral Commission and amended the State Local Government Administration Law within one day is suspect.
According to him, the non-recognition of the camp of the governor by Supremes Court and INEC has created desperation on the part of the governor who has resorted to introduce unlawful clauses in the State Local Government Administration Law on conduct of polls.
The governors have been intolerant. They don’t want the local government system of administration to succeed autonomously. “Soludo and other governors in the past must Account for more than a milion Naira that has come to the State from the federation including the Internally-generated revenue (IGR) which if included will be about Three Trillion Naira. “The recklessness must stop; that a Governor with economic background doesn’t want democracy to thrive at the local government be area level. They must not do the 28th September 2024 Local Government level. It’s really condemnable that somebody learned as Governor Soludo is running away from democracy. The best is to call for a collaborative meeting of stakeholders to iron issues out. If Soludo goes the way he’s doing, the local government system will derail,” Nwosu added., He vowed to pursue the reversal of the Anambra State Electoral (Amendment No.2), 2024.
He lamented that successive administrations in the State was disinterested in the conduct of the council polls in the last 20 years democratic goverrnnent, thereby denying the grassroots level of opportunities to get democracy dividends.
Nwosu contended that the reason for the non-conductive of the polls was traceable to the unbriddled quest for financial and material grab from the public tilt.
The ADC boss wondered the temerity of state governors to oppose the the direct remittance allocations from the centre to the councils.
Nwosu urged governor Soludo as a renown economist to appreciate the import of existence of truly democratically-elected Chairmen and Councillors in turning things around and their impact on improved livelihoods, rurall deveopment and economic advancement at the grassroots level.
The Chieftain of ADC pointed out that, with a state structure as being planned by the National Assembly and Attorney-general and Minister of Justice and other judicial officials, council elections will have a level-playing ground, be keenly contested and fairly won.
“But where a governor is in charge and the traditional institution, church, town union and market association leadership organs are under his dictation, the governor’s party will clear all the votes Chieftaincy, Soludo not to localize issues, but to focus more on the state matters than local administration and funding in order to allow the units of mayoralty across 774 Areas of the federation including Anambra State to strive and thrive tremendiously in local government in terms of service delivery, provision of welfare, job generation, wealth creation and wellness in a healthy, competitive manner of excellence.
He said it isn’t out of place for a governor to put his lackeys as local administrators who will sign documents for him and when money comes to local government, the governor grabs it asking the Chairman to send it where he wants.”
