Obiano must conduct LG elections in Anambra or... - Obi

The Movement for the Conduct of Local Government Elections in Anambra State (MCLGEA) has threatened to let hell loose in the state if the incumbent governor, Willie Obiano, fails to conduct local government council elections come January 2016.
National coordinator of the movement, Comrade Osita Obi, in a chat with The AUTHORITY on Sunday, accused successive governments in Anambra State of stifling the growth of the local government system, insisting that MCLGEA would give the government a showdown should it also tow the path of its predecessors on the matter.
According to him, “In Anambra, the local government system is stunted by the same people we gave mandate to preside over our affairs as governors. When they get to that position, they cripple the system. I am saying that it is not acceptable. We are ready for action; I want to start mobilizing people to embark on civil disobedience against this continued stifling of the democratic process.

“The civil disobedience is to compel the Governor, Willie Obiano, to organise local government elections in Anambra State; that’s all. What we are saying and we want every democracy-loving person to know about it is that the last local government election was conducted in Anambra State on January 14, 2014.
“By January 11, 2016, the tenure of the local government officials will elapse and as we speak, there is nothing on ground to suggest that elections will hold as at when due”.
Comrade Obi argued that the last time Anambra State conducted local government elections was during the military era until the last days of Governor Peter Obi, “when he conducted the elections, following agitations by the Movement”.
He also accused the successive governors of mismanaging the funds which accrued to the local governments by appointing cronies who ran that tier of government.
“A lot of money that are statutorily allocated to these local governments, where are they? Where are the allocation meant for local governments in Anambra State?
Over the years, nobody has accounted for all the money accruing to the local governments in Anambra State; the local government system does not exist in the state, “As we speak, there is nothing on ground in Anambra State to suggest that local government election will take place on or before January 11.
If elections are approaching, the electoral umpire prepares; they will issue guidelines and time-table.
“At the moment, Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission has no chairman. The chairman has retired and there is nothing on ground for his replacement.
“From what I gathered, people are saying that Gov. Obiano wants to appoint caretaker committee chairmen to run the local government councils when the tenure of the incumbent occupants expire and we are sounding a note of warning that he should desist from doing that and go ahead and follow the constitution and organize local government elections,” Obi maintained.
He narrated how he was detained by the Department of State Security Service (DSS) on the orders of then Governor Peter Obi over his insistence that the governor should conduct the local government elections, stressing that the local government remains the only ground for grooming politicians who would eventually take over government after understudying the running of government at the grassroots.
The activist challenged Anambra citizens who claim that there has been improvement from what Peter Obi achieved to look into the facts and critically analyse the state of things, stressing that social infrastructure in the state have all dilapidated and degenerated because “they are all China type”.
“When people say that Anambra has changed, they need to say in terms of what?
As I speak, there is no functional water supply in Anambra State. Awka, the state capital has no functional water supply system; the taps are very dry and even rusted.
“The streets are not good. We do not have good streets or layout in Awka, the state capital, not to talk of other communities. Apart from the federal highway that traverses from Amawbia to UNIZIK, what other road we have in the state capital?” he queried.