Part Response To The Critics and Opposition Who Are Not Ready For Election

MAZI EJIMOFOR OPARA 

A persistent question regarding the forthcoming local government election in anambra relates to amendment of the law to allow for minimum of 30 days notice and why ANSIEC gave 48 days notice? According to some parties that are afraid of losing, “the notice is too short and goalpost is shifted in the middle of the game”— whatever that means.

For the avoidance of doubt it is important to clarify as follows:

1) Gov Soludo promised local government election. For the past two years, opposition elements have been shouting and calling on him to fulfill his promise. In readiness, the Soludo-led administration embarked upon comprehensive review of the old electoral law and made largely consistent with the Federal Electoral Act. The House of Assembly passed it into law, allowing for minimum of 60 days notice for election. No one complained since the signing of the law, and Gov Soludo announced then that local government election would be conducted “soon”.

2) All amendments to the electoral law were done before the timetable and guidelines for the election were issued to the relevant parties/ public. Indeed, the amendment that set the minimum notice period to 30 days was done weeks before the announcement of date of election. ANSIEC gave 48 days notice— which is 18 days more than the minimum of 30 days in the new amendment, and just 12 days less than 60 days in the earlier version.

3) The Supreme Court judgment on payment of FAAC allocation to only local governments with elected government literally created a “state of emergency”. The Supreme Court listed the states without elected governments and ordered that payments of FAAC allocation to ONLY elected governments should be “immediately”. The implication is that further delays in conducting local government election would mean that salaries of primary school teachers, primary health workers, local government workers etc would soon not be paid if local government allocation is stopped. In effect, the Supreme Court judgment basically ordered states without elected local government to do so forthwith. With the “state of emergency” created by the Supreme Court judgment, the House of Assembly was responsive to amend the law, and ANSIEC was magnanimous to give 48 days notice. As progressive institutions, the House of Assembly and ANSIEC are responsive to ensure that our local governments are not crippled due to the seizure of their FAAC allocation.

4) Every serious person knew that Local Government election would be held “soon”. When the Supreme Court delivered a recent judgement, every serious political party knew that Local Government election had become “an emergency” so that funds for the grassroots — payments of teachers, health workers, stipends for traditional rulers and PGs, vigilante, sanitation, etc— will not be seized.

5) Every responsible citizen of Anambra understands and supports the House of Assembly and ANSIEC in their historic duties to respond to the emergency and in fulfillment of the electoral promise of the Governor