By Tony Okafor, Awka
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Warriors’ Forum has commended the 8th Assembly members and the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) for their proactive measures to ensure the smooth conduct of local government elections in the state.
In a statement made available to our correspondent on Saturday, the National Coordinator of APGA Warriors’ Forum, Chinedu Obigwe, praised the 8th Assembly members for amending the ANSIEC law, which he described as a “timely and necessary” move to prevent the Federal government from withholding local government allocations in adherence to the recent Supreme Court ruling.
Obigwe noted that such a situation would have dire consequences, including the stoppage of salaries for primary school teachers, primary health workers, local government workers, traditional rulers, Vigilantes, Sanitation workers, and others who rely on local government allocations for their livelihood.
He accused those opposing the amendment and the election timetable of trying to cripple the local government system and throw the state into crisis, reminiscent of the dark days of the dark era when teachers went on strike for one year due to non-payment of salaries.
Obigwe described the 8th Assembly members, led by Rt. Hon. Somto Udeze, and the ANSIEC members as heroes for taking proactive measures to protect the interest of the people and ensure the continued progress of the local government system.
He averred that the forthcoming local government election would go on as scheduled on September 28, 2024, despite the opposition from some quarters, saying “whether the enemies of progress like it or not, the election will hold as scheduled.”
Obigwe urged all stakeholders to support the efforts of the 8th Assembly members and ANSIEC to ensure the success of the local government election and the continued progress of the state
