Stakeholders Urge Governor Soludo to Organize Local Government Elections in Anambra After 10-Year Hiatus

Stakeholders in Anambra State are calling on Governor Chukwuma Soludo to promptly organize local government elections in the state, marking almost a decade since the last polls were conducted.

During a forum organized by the International Peace and Civic Responsibility Centre (IPCRC) in collaboration with the African Centre for Leadership and Development, various Anambra stakeholders, including members of civil society organizations, political parties, religious and traditional institutions, and the media, emphasized the pressing need for electoral representation at the grassroots level.

Dr. Henry Duru, a lecturer in the Mass Communication Department of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, delivered a lecture titled ‘Strengthening Accountability in Governance and Electoral Process.’ He highlighted concerns about the concentration of power by Nigerian governors over the local government system, emphasizing the constitutional obligation to conduct elections rather than leaving the process in the hands of transitional committees.

Chris Azor, the Coordinator of IPCRC, and Mr. Itia Otabor, Director of the African Centre for Leadership and Development, explained that the forum aimed to encourage the Anambra State government to hold local council polls. Otabor stressed, “We are not appealing to the governor; we are only reminding him of what he should have done, which he hasn’t done. He is obligated to conduct local government elections because it is statutory.”

The stakeholders unanimously agreed, in a communique, on the crucial necessity of conducting local government polls in Anambra State. As the one-month mark approaches since the last local government election in the state, the call for timely and transparent electoral processes gains momentum among Anambra’s diverse stakeholder groups.