Anambra: Stakeholders battle Soludo over LG polls

Two and half years after his swearing in as governor of Anambra State, Prof Chukwuma Soludo has finally made up his mind to conduct local government elections in the state.

The elections have been scheduled for September 28, but stakeholders, mainly opposition politicians in the state, have condemned the rush.

There have been several cries over the years about the non-conduct of local government elections in the state.

Soludo during the 2021 governorship election had leveraged this to woo the people, with a promise to conduct the election within six months if elected.

However, two years down the line, the election promise remained a mirage until recently when he sent an executive bill to the state House of Assembly for the constitution of the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC).

Many believe that the bill was in connection with the stoppage of allocations to local governments in Anambra, because of non-conduct of LG polls.

The September 28 election will be coming after a long wait of over 10 years since the last local government elections in January 2014.

Last week, after the state assembly ratified the appointment of members of the commission, Prof Soludo swore them into office, charging them to go forward and ensure they give Anambra people a credible election.

Soludo while performing the task said: “The rest of the job is in your hands. People of Anambra are expecting you to hit the ground running.

“When you are done, announce to the people when you’ll hold elections. I’ve done my job. Ndị Anambra, here comes your ANSIEC Commissioners,” the Governor added.

But barely a week after Soludo performed this exercise, the commission has announced the date for the election, causing members of the opposition political parties to express discontentment about what they called Soludo’s plan to ambush them.

While announcing the notice of the election to journalists, the State Chief Electoral Officer, Genevieve Osakwe, Esq, said: “Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission wishes to inform all registered Political Parties and the general public that Local Government Elections in the State will be held on Saturday, September 28, 2024.

“Election Timetable/Schedule of Activities and other details can be collected from the Headquarters of the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission, Awka, from Wednesday, 14th August, 2024”.

This leaves the opposition parties with just less than a month to prepare to challenge the ruling party, All Progressives Congress, APGA, in the contest. This has been protested by some stakeholders.

A public affairs analyst in the state, Mr Tony Okafor queried the reason for the rush to conduct an election that had not been conducted for over 10 years in the state.

He warned against sacrificing the need for a credible election on the altar of wanting to hastily conduct one, just to see himself as a jinx breaker.

“Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s announcement, via the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC), to conduct local government elections on September 28, is a commendable step towards democratic governance and decentralization of power.

“However, the rushed timeline and internal party conflicts raise concerns about fairness and credibility.

“Giving opposition parties barely a month to prepare is a form of rigging that can disenfranchise many and undermine the process.

“This short notice, coupled with the absence of a comprehensive town hall meeting with stakeholders, may not provide sufficient time for adequate preparation, robust campaigning, and thorough voter education, thereby potentially compromising the integrity of the electoral process.

“We urge Governor Soludo to reconsider the timeline and ensure that ANSIEC demonstrates impartiality and transparency in the electoral process.

“While Governor Soludo’s initiative to conduct local government elections is commendable, the rushed timeline and internal party conflicts threaten to undermine the credibility of the electoral process.

“If the September 28 timeline remains sacrosanct, the fundamental integrity and legitimacy of the local government elections will be severely compromised, rendering the entire exercise essentially meaningless.

“We urge Governor Soludo to reconsider the timeline and ensure a level playing field for all political parties. Only then can we guarantee free, fair, and credible elections that truly reflect the will of the people,” Okafor said.

A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Afam Victor Ogene, who represents Ogbaru Federal Constituency on the platform of Labour Party (LP) also expressed concerns over the hasty amendment of the Anambra State Electoral Law by the Anambra State House of Assembly and the scheduling of the elections.

He described the move as a promotion of undemocratic tactics aimed at frustrating opposition parties in the state.

Ogene in a statement he released in Awka, the state capital on Tuesday, criticised the swift amendment of the state’s Electoral Law, calling it an unholy manoeuvre to stifle the interest of the grassroots in producing credible leadership at the local government levels as envisioned by both the constitution and the recent pronouncement by the Supreme Court.

Ogene said: “Governor Soludo and the State Assembly have perpetuated an undemocratic practice by utilizing the democratic institution of the Assembly to handpick local government leaders.

“This anti-people approach excludes the majority who do not align with their authoritarian tendencies.

“The newly imposed 30-day notice period for local government elections will lead to widespread disenfranchisement at the grassroots level.

“Within this truncated timeframe, it will be nearly impossible for stakeholders to conduct meaningful consultations, organize primary elections, secure funding, and prepare for the election without government support.

“This is a disservice to the people and a mockery of our democracy. By frustrating the enthronement of true democracy at the grassroots level – the foundation of democratic governance – the government is mindlessly undermining the very essence of democratic practice.

“In deed, it is ludicrous that 10 years after the last local government in the state – and two and half years since he mounted the saddle – Governor Soludo and his recently appointed ANSIEC would seek to hoodwink the people of the state through a hurriedly clobbered council election process.

“We urge all advocates of democracy to remain vigilant and engaged in the upcoming Anambra local government and state elections, ensuring that the people’s will is not subverted by the state government’s deceitful tactics under Governor Soludo’s leadership.”

A respondent, Mr Ikechukwu Ezeaka, however, attributed the rush by the state governor to a tactic to beat an impending law by the National Assembly, which will take away the powers of state electoral commissions from conducting local government elections, because of the frequent abuse by state governors.

“This rush is to install APGA chairmen before Soludo loses the power to conduct local government elections.

“And you know that once the election holds, and elected officials sworn in, the federal government may in the interest of democracy not sack them, but leave them to complete their tenure, while Soludo uses them too, both for revenue generation and his forthcoming reelection.”

Meanwhile, while opposition parties kick, members of the leading party, All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, have hailed the move.

A chieftain of the party and National Coordinator of APGA Warriors’ Forum, Chinedu Obigwe, praised the 8th Assembly members for amending the ANSIEC law, which he described as a “timely and necessary” move to prevent the Federal government from withholding local government allocations in adherence to the recent Supreme Court ruling.

He accused those opposing the amendment and the election timetable of trying to cripple the local government system and throw the state into crisis, reminiscent of the dark days of the dark era when teachers went on strike for one year due to non-payment of salaries.

Obigwe described the 8th Assembly members, led by Rt. Hon. Somto Udeze, and the ANSIEC members as heroes for taking proactive measures to protect the interest of the people and ensure the continued progress of the local government system.

Also, defending the amendment of the laws, the Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Somtochukwu Udeze clarified the reasons behind the speedy passage of the ANSIEC law by the State Assembly.

According to Udeze, the amendment was necessary due to the fact that local government elections have not been held in the state for over ten years, rendering certain sections of the law outdated.

“The State Assembly is constitutionally empowered to make laws for the conduct of local government elections and general administration of councils.

“We amended the ANSIEC law to suit current realities and ensure the smooth running of the 21 local government areas in the state,” he stated.