BY Kamsi Anayo, Awka
Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra state has atlast sent the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) board members’ names to the House of Assembly for confirmation.
This is part of the preparations for the conduct of Local Government Elections in the state,
Hon. Somtochukwu Udeze, the Speaker read out the governor’s letter requesting consideration and confirmation of the board members during plenary on Wednesday.
He, however, referred the letter to the Screening Committee headed by the Deputy Speaker of the House Rt.Hon. Chukwuma Okoye for further deliberations.
The governor’s letter contained names of the board members. They are Magistrate Chinelo Genevieve Osakwe as Chairman, Barr. Osita Igbokwe, Mr Chinedu Anthony, Mrs Ifeyinwa Umeh and two others are members.
The Speaker urged the Screening Committee to expedite action on the letter and report to the House on the next adjourned date.
There was an uproar in Anambra early July this year when Soludo dumped the democratisation of the local government system to swear in another appointed Transition Committee (TC) Chairmen.
The governor retreating from his earlier promises played another waiting game to swear in appointed TC Chairmen contrarily to his commitments to bring governance closer to the people.
During his inauguration on March 17, 2022, the governor pledged to prioritize local government elections in the state, a move anticipated to invigorate grassroots democracy.
This promise went down well with the electorate, who longed for leaders accountable directly to them.
The establishment of the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) is seen as a crucial step towards fulfilling this commitment.
