Sequel to the recent Supreme Court judgment declaring local government autonomy, a citizens’ advocacy group, Anambra Civil Society Network (ACSONet) has enjoined Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State to fully comply with the Supreme Court’s pronouncement by quickly conducting local government election in the State.
Leader of the group, Prince Chris Azor, made the statement while reacting to the recent ruling of the apex court granting political and financial autonomy to local government councils in Nigeria.
Prince Azor said the Governor had no other choice than to immediately constitute Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) and give it the marching orders to conduct local government election within the next three months.
The citizens’ advocate further advised the Governor to dissolve the recently inaugurated transition committee structure and allow Heads of Administration in the various local government councils to take over leadership temporarily, pending the conduct and operation of a democratically elected local government administration.
He said that any action to the contrary would amount to flagrant disobedience to the apex court’s ruling, impunity and lawlessness.
The human rights advocate also said that obeying the apex court’s order would save the state from further opprobrium, adding that Anambra had gained notorious and ignoble ranking as the state with the longest period in non conduct of local government election, since year 2014.
He enjoined the state Governor to uphold his hailing of the supreme court judgment, with a promise to abide by the rule of law.
The Governor was also reminded of the negative social and economic consequences of possible zero financial allocations to the masses, as a result of non compliance with democratic electoral process at the local government level.
Recall that, a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court in a judgement declared that state governments had no power to appoint caretaker committees and that a local government was recognizable with a democratically elected government.
The apex court also ruled that the use of caretaker committees was unconstitutional and amounted to the state governments taking control in violation of the 1999 constitution (as amended),
The Supreme Court in the ruling said the judgment would take immediate effect.
