A BED BY THE WINDOW
NEW YEAR, NEW LIFE/ RESOLUTIONS
Community Forum - 3
Mr. Ndulaka;
“Uwaka-a-sefu!” the governor has appointed a sole administrator to each of the twenty-seven local govt. areas in Imo State. These are local government areas whose occupants or inhabitants were expecting local government elections. After two or three sets of transition chairmen, why go back to square one? Yes, sole administrators would be meaningful if they are there prepared grounded for local govt. elections. Unfortunately, that is not the case. I wonder why the state legislators had to approve the appointment of sole administrators to the local govt. areas. The legislators were elected by the local dwellers but they do not want the same local dwellers to elect those who will live with them and take charge of day to day concern of the people.
Mr. Obiajunwa:
I suggest we do something drastically and dramatically about the governor and the state legislators; just besiege the state house and the house of assembly, to demonstrate our collective anger for denying our right to elect over local govt. chairman and other officials. However, I know why the governor does not want to conduct local government elections. The reason is that there are no longer cases in court against the governor. Now it is the fervent and ardent desire of the governor to run for second term / tenure. He feels that the only tactics to win the entire vote is to stop local govt. elections because if he should declare local govt. elections now, different political parties would emerge.
Consequently, that would jeopardize the governors chance to win a majority vote, since the emergence of other political parties both on the local govt. level and state level would mean divided loyalty. The governor is playing his card well in his own self interest but brushing or sweeping the common good, “the govt. of the people by the people”, is under the carpet.
Ask me why the state legislators gave nod to the governor plan against local govt. election! It is obvious. He has “settled” them as the terminology implies. Again, party loyalty is a big reason why the legislators back the governor. But my friend “legislator”, were you not elected by the same people you do not want to help get elected local govt. official? For the governor and the house of assembly to decide to appoint sole administrators to the 27 local government areas in Imo state, is the height of wide spread corruption in the state. It means the local govt. area is the prosperity of its sole administrator, with out councilors as a decision making body. You can see that the present administrative arrangement is worse than the former, especially when the aim is not to arrange for local govt. election. One newly appointed sole administrator told me that he is solely in-charge of the local govt. and nobody from the area questions him about anything and anybody he appoints to assist him is merely a special assistant who could stay or go at anytime. I expect traditional rulers in the 27 local govt. areas to react to this. What do you tell the governor and the house of assembly about the disapproval of your autonomous communities on this action or issue?
Mr. Ekeocha.
My honest reaction to the appointment of sole administrators without forth coming local govt. election is one of an agony.
On the part of our sons and daughters elected into the house of assembly by their various constituencies, it is one of ingratitude and shamelessness. They have forgotten their election promises to their people. Yet the assembly men/ women are warming up for re-election by the same people they have forgotten. Anyway, these politicians know how to catch their “fish”, the voters. The first “catch” is to spread the money they have been hoarding for re-election. The second “catch” is to remind voters about the work left undone but waiting for completion when re-elected. For example, the deplorable condition of the road from Ahiara junction to Aboh Mbaise-Uvuru Mbaise and beyond will be a point of reference for the politicians from Mbaise. That is, the deputy governor Ada Okwuona will talk about it, member representing Ezinihitte in the state house of assembly, Dr, Ekennia will talk about it, a member from Aboh Mbaise chief Ihenatu will talk about the same road; the same type of speech will be heard in Ahiazu. What will be voter's reactions if they realize that beyond the state, Mbaise as a people has a son in the house of representative independence Hon. Ogunewe who does nothing about the same road in question? In the house of senate Mbaise has Mrs. Chris Anyanwu who came home during electioneering campaign to solicit for support, was elected but has never come again for the good of Mbaise people.
My brothers and sisters, very soon you will see them home again to address you, solicit your votes with their empty promises. Of course, we don't have the courage to show them that we are disappointed; rather what you will hear the electorate shout! “Yea, yea, yea.” “Give us the money, we give you the vote”.
Know it well! “This can not be our grace but our grave”.