The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) and the state’s ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) are blaming one another for the failure of the state to hold local government elections.
APC expressed regret that Anambra is the only state in the South East that has not established democratically elected local governments or a date for the election, despite APGA’s claim that APC was to blame after it filed a lawsuit against the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission, ANSIEC.
Anambra had only held local government elections once since the restoration of democracy in the nation in 1999, and that was in January 2014, near the conclusion of Mr. Peter Obi’s term as the state’s governor.
Okelo Madukaife, an APC chieftain, expressed amazement at the justification provided by APGA and insisted that there was no court order prohibiting the holding of local government elections in the state.
Referring to a claim made by Barr. Ifeatu Obi-Okoye, the state chairman of the APGA, that the APC’s legal action was the cause of the local government election’s delay, Madukaife said: “Obiokoye did not mention the parties, the subject matter of the suit(s), or the specific orders, if any, tying the Anambra State government’s hands to the local government election.
“Gov. Peter Obi of the APGA utilised that justification till it self-expired. Using that justification, Governor Wille Obiano monopolised the resources of LGs. Now that Gov. Soludo has failed to fulfil his electoral commitment to conduct the LG election in September 2022, he is finding some wiggle room in the most recent APGA outcry.
“APGA is merely attempting to protect an unjustified robbery that is devaluing Zik’s home state in the eyes of other Nigerian states to the point that, over time, the state may wind up being the last in Nigeria.
By choosing LG officials on September 2, 2023, Edo State would atone for the sin that Anambra is elder at.
“Yet Anambra State is squandering money paying a set of nearly ineffective ANSIEC staff for doing virtually nothing, having no board, and depleting the state’s resources under the faceless leadership of Chukwuma Soludo’s APGA,” the statement reads.
In response to Madukaife’s remark, Mr. Chinedu Obigwe, coordinator of the APGA Media Warriors Forum, stated that it is widely known that the APC lawsuit, which was pursued before the Supreme Court, is impeding the Anambra State government’s plans to hold local government elections.
Obigwe contends that if APC is genuine in its call for the holding of local government elections in the state, it should first drop the court suits it had filed in support of that demand, eliminating any potential legal obstacles for the state administration.
“Anambra APC cannot act as if it wants the election to be held while simultaneously using litigation to prevent the Anambra State government from holding local government elections,” he remarked.
“Any local government election in Anambra is a pointless exercise as long as the issue has not yet been determined by the Supreme Court since it would ultimately be ruled null and invalid.
“Governor Chukwuma Soludo respects the rule of law, hence he will refrain from taking part in a sub-judice action.
“Governor Soludo has significantly lowered the cost of government in Anambra today while prudently using the few resources at his disposal.
The Soludo government is “channelling the resources accruing to Anambra State coffers to projects being carried out throughout the state.”
