Conducting LG poll 10 days to your handover, laying landmines for Otti, Abia Elders tell Ikpeazu
From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia
Member of Abia State Elders Consultative Forum are dissuading Governor Okezie Ikpeazu from going ahead with the proposed local government elections in the state scheduled for May 19 2023, insisting that conducting the poll days to his quitting office would amount to laying landmines for his successor, Dr, Alex Otti.
The Forum, in a statement jointly endorsed by its National President, His Grace, Archbishop Professor Princewill Ariwodor; and National Secretary, Rev. Dr Joseph Adiele, noted that the said poll was ill-timed as it would hold only 10 days to the expiration of Ikpeazu’s tenure and has the tendency to set winners of the election against the incoming administration of Dr. Alex Otti, expressing fears that it such development may threaten the relative peace in the state.
The Forum, whose intervention is coming on the heels of a court injunction restraining the outgoing government from conducting the proposed fresh council poll, further contended that conducting a fresh council poll on May 19 was suspicious and would amount to a waste of scarce resources.
The body therefore counseled Ikpeazu to allow the incoming administration to conduct the new council election because of time constraint.
While praising Ikpeazu for conducting local government elections twice in the life of his administration, the Forum said: “You are a true democrat, having conducted two Local Government elections during your tenures. It is an eloquent testimony of your democratic spirit.”
However, in disagreeing with the propriety of conducting a fresh Council while a new administration was waiting on the wings, the Elders’ Forum argued thus: “But conducting another Local Government election in 10 days before your handover is not only laying land mines against Dr Otti’s incoming administration, but can be viewed as counter-productive, suspicious, and mischievous.
“Abia State Elders are not in support of the Local Government elections planned for May 19, 2023, the twilight of your outgoing Administration. This is because it is ill-advised, ill-timed and smacks of bad faith, to say the least; a waste of the scarce resources Abia State is grappling with.
“Such a move, if encouraged or supported, will earn more debts and liabilities to the incoming administration when salaries, gratuities and pensions are owed up to 40 months!”
The Abia Elders rather urged the Governor to avoid any act capable of plunging the state into crisis or setting the incoming administration against winners of the proposed poll.
They warned that the incoming administration may not recognize the outcome of the proposed council poll, hence the need to avoid unnecessary row.
“Going by available records, the new Administration will disband those you have elected as Councilors’ which will spur acrimony and face-off with State Government, leading to lawsuits that will polarize the state and deny it peace and stability,” the Forum added.
The elders, however, commended Ikpeazu for congratulating the Governor-elect, Dr Alex Otti, and for urging losers not to resort to litigations to avoid distracting the in-coming administration.
