It would be
recalled that Chief Ugwuanyi, who ascended to the government house on the
platform of Peoples’ Democratic Party
(PDP), had recently revealed to Enugu State political stakeholders of his
intention to appoint caretaker committees that would run the affairs of the
council areas to enable the government make adequate budgetary provisions for
the exercise and as well complete on-going verification exercise in the local
government areas.
Tectono Business Review learnt
that the APC vehemently opposed the plan, prompting it to file a suit at the
Enugu State High Court. According to the APC, it has already secured an Order
of the Court to serve the Originating Summons and the motion on notice for
interlocutory Injunction “to restrain the Governor and his partners from
appointing any such caretaker committee pending the hearing and determination
of the case”. The case, with the suit number E/362/2015, is pending before Hon. Justice R O Odugu of High Court 6,
Enugu.
A statement credited
to the publicity secretary of the APC in the State, Mrs. Kate Offor, which was made available to Tectono Business Review, has it
that the party headed to court in order to forestall the tendency of
misapplication of local government council funds and under the lame excuse of
no money to conduct local government council
election.
election.
According to
Mrs Offor, “it must be known that the All Progressives
Congress (APC) Enugu State Chapter, is vehemently opposed to the setting up of
Caretaker Committees to run the Enugu State Local Government Council, as
canvassed by His Excellency, Chief Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, governor of Enugu State. We
say capital no to the setting up of Caretaker Committees to run Local
Government Councils in Enugu State on the grounds that it is unconstitutional,
ultra vires and goes against the grains of timeless best tenets of democracy.
“As
Abraham Lincoln said, ‘No man is good enough to govern another man, without
that other’s consent’ and most importantly the 1999 Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria as amended under Section 7 states, ‘The system of local
government by democratically elected Local Councils is under this Constitution
GUARANTEED and accordingly, the government of every State shall subject to
Section 8 of this Constitution ensure their existence under law which provides
for establishment, structure, finance and function of such Councils.’
“While
we were busy preparing for local government council election and calling for
the sack of the corrupt and inefficient Dr. Bony Eneh led Enugu State Independent
Electoral Commission (ENSIEC), news filtered in that His Excellency will impose
cronies and party goons as councillors and chairmen to govern our local
government councils. We are, therefore, at a loss why a governor duly elected
to protect and defend the Constitution should arrogantly and less than
transparently breach the Constitution, especially when his predecessors
conducted local government council elections backed by law.”
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