Labour Party stalwart and frontline Governorship hopeful in Anambra State, Valentine Ozigbo, has called on Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo to implement Thursday’s Supreme Court judgment granting autonomy to the Local Government Councils and conduct elections into the State’s 21 Councils immediately.
Ozigbo, in a statement on Thursday night, said: “Today, the Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgment, declaring that it is unconstitutional for Governors to hold on to funds meant for Local Government (LG) administrations, directing that Local Government allocation from the Federation Account should be paid directly to them henceforth.
“The apex Court held that the appointment of Caretaker Committees is illegal and unconstitutional. Therefore, no Governor has any power to appoint Caretaker Committees to run the affairs of Local Government.
“The judgment is a victory for democracy especially at the grassroots and is in line with what we have been advocating in Anambra State. This is time for autonomy for local governments as they would now manage their funds themselves and live up to their billing as the third tier of government.
“We, therefore, call on Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo to immediately put in motion concrete steps and timelines for the conduct of Local Government Election in the State in not more than three months.
“While the Supreme Court is forcing Governor Soludo to fulfill his promise of over two years to conduct a Local Government Election, it is expected that he understands that this is the time to move from rhetoric and promises to action.
“The Local Government provides the opportunity for people at the grassroots to choose their leaders democratically. These leaders will ensure transparency, accountability and responsiveness to the needs of their people at the local level.
“The era of the Governor appointing his cronies and errand boys into Local Government positions purely for electoral calculations is over. With the election of Chairmen and Councilors for the Local Governments, democratic principles will be entrenched and issues such as brigands, touting, kidnapping, banditry, killings, and theft will significantly diminish. The time for the Governor to show that he respects the rule of law is now and he should not play ostrich or politics with it.
“We expect the Local Government administrations to wake up and ensure that they live up to the expectations of the people. They have been sleeping for a long time and this is a wake-up call for them to show that they are equal to the task of providing leadership and development at the local levels as the third tier of government.”