Sen. Athan Achonu, the Labour Party candidate for governor in Imo State’s election on November 11th, has criticized the state government’s plans to hold council elections a few months to the guber election.
Achonu expressed his position to reporters on Wednesday in Owerri.
Sen. Hope Uzodimma, the governor of Imo, reportedly pledged to hold local government elections no later than July 2023 in a meeting with APC leaders last April, according to Platinum Times Nigeria.
Four days before the end of July, the election schedule has not yet been revealed.
Achonu stated that council elections should be performed by governors as soon as they take office rather than months before a governorship election, and Mr. Chime Nzeribe, the Director-General of his campaign group, supported this position.
He criticized the delay in the council election’s completion, calling it a “betrayal of the real motive” behind the vote.
He asserts that the timing of local government elections should demonstrate a genuine intention to strengthen local governments and make them serve the interests of the people, not a desperate attempt to build up followers for the ruling party at the grassroots.
“We are at a loss why a government that has almost exhausted its constitutionally guaranteed four years in office, has woken up on the eve of its exit, to perform a very crucial task it bluntly ignored when it had all the time in the world to do so.
“The choice of this seemingly odd hour to conduct local government elections underscores the fact that it’s being motivated by re-election desperation, and not the collective welfare and well-being of the Imo electorate, especially the millions of rural dwellers.
“As your governor, I will conduct local council elections upon assumption of office and not weeks to the next election as seen today.
“Local government autonomy will solve some of our problems ranging from insecurity to grassroots development, youth empowerment, among others,” he said.
He urged Imo people to keep faith with his ‘Take-Back-Imo‘ agenda.