Onyemelukwe Deplores Govs’ Abuse Of LG Autonomy,
Lady Chidi Onyemelukwe, a leading aspirant in the Nov 6 governorship election in Anambra has described as worrisome the neglect and abuse of the local government system in Nigeria, especially the South East.Onyemelukwe who is contending for the ticket of the People’s Democratic Party said this in an interview on the sidelines of the second session of the fourth synod of the Anglican Diocese of Niger West in Nando, Anambra East LGA, on Sunday.Onyemelukwe said there were certain ambiguities that existed in Nigeria’s constitution which allowed state governments to annex and treat local governments as their operational extensions.She said this negated the autonomous status the LG system were conferred with at creation.Onyemelukwe, the Anambra 2017 deputy governorship candidate of the PDP, said such loopholes and neglect of local governments have rendered our federal system dysfunctional.She said though there were legal instruments such as; executive bills, executive orders and guidelines issued by Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies in successive federal governments, including the Buhari administration, had variously adopted to correct the anomaly but they had been ineffective because they were subordinate to the constitution.According to her, any meaningful approach to the issue must come through a rigorous constitutional amendment process. In the meantime, Onyemelukwe said her government, if elected, will guarantee local government autonomy by holding local government elections within its first year in office.Earlier in his speech, the visiting Bishop, Rt. Revd. Sunday T. G. Adewole, the Bishop, Anglican Diocese of Kwara, spoke on the theme “You are Complete in Christ: The Head of Principalities and Powers” .
