Fast-track action to ensure benefits of LG autonomy, APC Chieftain urges NASS

An All Progressives Congress (APC) Chieftain in Enugu State, Chief Hycienth Ngwu, has urged the National Assembly to fast-track action to ensure benefits of local government financial autonomy to Nigerians.

Ngwu, a former APC Publicity Secretary in the South-East, stated this while addressing newsmen in Enugu on Friday.

He called on the federal lawmakers to act fast to bring to full realisation the benefits of the financial autonomy recently restored to the nation’s local government system.

The APC chieftain attributed the present unrest in River to what he called bastardisation and mockery of the electoral process during the recently-conducted local government elections in the state.

“The same thing is building up in some other states, though in different ways. That of Rivers was only pronounced because of the open political rift between two powerful groups.

“It is an anomaly, politically incomprehensible and humanly unreasonable that in an election where you have strong political divides, one party will win in all the polling units, polling wards and local government councils.

“It is totally absurd,” he said.

Ngwu noted that local government system in the country might not be accountable to the people if elections should continue as they were presently being conducted by State Electoral Commissions.

“Therefore, if we really want to sustainably grow and deepen democracy in Nigeria by making the local government financial autonomy work, the national assembly must act to make the foundation very strong.

“That foundation is the total overhaul of local government elections for the overall benefit of the people,” he said.