The National Coordinator of Corruption Watch, Chuks Ogbuka, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to order for the suspension of local government allocations to Anambra State pending when the governor, Willie Obiano, would conduct local government elections.
Ogbuka who stated this in Nnewi, Anambra State, on Tuesday, described non-conduct of council polls in the state as undemocratic and illegal.
He said, “President Buhari should intervene by first stopping Anambra State Local Government allocations until democratically elected governments are put in place in the 21 council areas of the state.”
He said the continued governance of the State by the governor without the input of democratically elected council officials was absurd.
He said the electorate had believed that the caretaker committee system currently in operation in the state would have been replaced with elected officials without unnecessary delay.
He added, “Governor Willie Obiano would be taking the people of Anambra State for a ride if he failed to conduct local government election in the State as soon as possible to fulfill his second term campaign promise.
“Non-conduct of the council poll had led to uneven development of the 21 council areas in the state whereas a huge amount of funds always come to Anambra from the Federation Account for the council areas.”
“If the local government election was conducted in the state more jobs would be created in addition to more grassroots’ developments.
“As social crusaders, we want Obiano to tell Anambra people why he has not deemed it fit to conduct local government election in the state almost one year after being sworn in for a second tenure.
“We consider the practice as trampling upon the rights of Anambra electorate who had voted him for the second tenure.”
Ogbuka regretted that the current caretaker committee system where workers were handpicked had reduced officials at the council areas as mere stooges in the hands of the governor as they were not answerable to the people.
