By Anaso Obiekwe Edwin
Recently, governor of Anambra State, Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo appointed a team made up of APGA faithfuls to steer the day to day administration of the 21 local government councils in Anambra state. This has been the trend since APGA took charge of the administration of the supposedly light of the nation. Year in year out, APGA governors appoint their o-yes followers as a settlement for their loyalty to man these critical tier of government.
To have an in depth understanding of this, I will illustrate this criminality using federal and state governments.
Let us assume that Buhari who won 2019 presidential election under APC influences INEC not to conduct gubernatorial and state houses assembly elections in the 36 states. Rather, he illegally appoints his followers as governors and state lawmakers to govern states. How does it sound to you? Impossible? I know you are already saying God forbid! This is exactly what Professor of Economics is doing in Anambra State. Of course, God cannot forbid that of the federal government and ‘unforbid’ the illegal cum criminal behaviors of our governors.
Now, let me not bore you with what is happening in the western world. Let us have a look at Kaduna State. Governor Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai conducted election in the 23 local council areas of Kaduna state immediately he was sworn in. Both PDP and APC shared the seats for the local government chairmen and councilors. Governor Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai interference in the election was minimal to the extent that he lost his polling unit to the opposition PDP. Can that ever happen here?
Secondly, there is local government financial autonomy. Local government funds are managed by the elected officers for the betterment of the locals in Kaduna state. Go and verify! I can imagine what my local government ought to have achieved if we are responsible for the management and administration of our allocations for all these years.
Dear Prof, we didn’t elect you because of your long CV (Anambra has arrays of such personality including your opponents during the last gubernatorial election). Rather we elected you because we believed that the status quo will be altered for the development of Anambra State and Ndi Anambra. We cannot be the light of the nation and at the time be over shadowed by darkness. We cannot have a professor as a leader and still can’t get it right. Unless if you suggest that education doesn’t matter in shaping leadership charisma.
Finally, Ndi Anambra must be allowed to choose who will lead them from community leadership (IGWE & PG), local to federal governments. No one should be subjected to accept anybody’s opinion as our collective opinion in terms of who emerges as local government chairman and councilors. We cannot build a liveable homeland by non-adherence to a constitutional system of government. Local governance should be government of the local, by the local and for the local.
Let there be light if we are truly the light of the nation!
