LG Autonomy: Soludo is a true democrat. He has kept to his promise.
BY IZUCHUKWU Adichie
Whenever I receive calls and social media tags regarding the conduct of the local government elections, which my boss, Soludo, promised to Ndi Anambra, my response is simple: “No doubt, the uniform local government system as the third confederating unit has remained one of the contesting features of our federalism. However, in two years, Soludo has made the best of a bad system. He has kept his promise about conducting local government elections since the beginning of his term, unleashing the potential of governance at the local levels. He has promoted accountability and transparency in government and has strengthened the law to help the state organize the elections.
For more than two decades before Soludo took office, Ndi Anambra had not experienced a proper local government election and an effective local government system. The local system was non-functional, abandoned, and in ruins with no access to administrative duties. It was so bad that workers did not show up for work, pensioners at the local level were owed a backlog of unpaid pensions, and the welfare of local government staff was neglected.
To permanently solve the above problems, Soludo, a true democrat and a believer in the rule of law, on his inauguration day, assured Ndi Anambra that within two years in office, his administration would review and amend the relevant laws to organize the local government election to guarantee autonomy. He has kept this promise by recently strengthening the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) Law – which was signed into law as promised within two years, and by reforming the local government system, unleashing the potential of governance at the local levels.
Regardless of the Supreme Court pronouncement, Soludo remains a true democrat who believes that the government should be for the grassroots. He had already concluded plans to set up the ANSIEC Board, following the enactment of the local government Electoral law, which the body will announce the date for the conduct of true, free, and fair elections in the state. He is not a regular politician who speaks from both sides of the mouth, and he keeps his promises.
