The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has assured that the National Assembly will amend current legislations that have impeded the administration of Local Government Councils in the country to guarantee full autonomy for the third tier of government.
Senator Akpabio identified the State and Local Government Joint Accounts Committee and the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) laws as legislations that the National Assembly would amend to grant full autonomy to local government in the country.
Senator Akpabio gave the assurance at Independence High School Ukana, Essien Udim local government area of Akwa Ibom State, shortly after participating in the local government elections in the State on Saturday.
A statement by the Special Asistant to the President of the Senate on Media and Communication, Anietie Ekong, quoted Senator Akpabio as urging the people to participate in the exercise no matter what the outcome would be.
According to the President of the Senate, “For me I believe strongly in the autonomy of Local Government and the Supreme Court has recently given a verdict that there is need for the funds of the Local Government to go directly to the Local Government. But it will still need a bit of parliamentary tinkering for that to become a reality as a result of various provisions in the Constitution.
“Like the Joint Local Government Account Committee and the provision of the State Independent Electoral Commission laws. My coming here today is to participate in the Local Government polls and to observe the conduct of the election by the State Government.
“Sometimes you hear that the Local Government election is conducted and the ruling party in the State will win all the positions available. So it was necessary for me to come and see how such feats are achieved.
“With the avalanche of support that you have seen that I have in my Senatorial District and Local Government which you are all witnesses, how do people normally score 100 percent? So it simply means that if elections are allowed to be free and fair that the political parties will chose people based on their competence and not on the basis of the ruling parties in that State.
“It calls to question the conscience of Nigerians, the need for us to examine our conscience, the need for us to ensure that every vote counts, the need for us to deepen democracy and allow democracy to work. If democracy does not work at the grassroots level, it means that development will never trickle down to the common man.
“That is the reason that despite many other engagements, I came down to participate since Akwa Ibom is said to be doing Local Government election today. So I came to exercise my franchise and also meet with my people.
“My message to the people is to do the voting whether you win or you don’t win, the joy is being able to exercise your franchise, and having the right to vote. The rest of getting it right will need parliamentary input and executive push and even the assertion of the judiciary,” he said.
Akpabio recalled that when he served as the governor of Akwa Ibom State between 2007 and 2015, opposition political parties in the State won some chairmanship seats and the State Independent Electoral Commission announced them but regretted that, that was no longer the case in the present political dispensation. He assured that with the amendment of the relevant legislations, the will of the people would prevail during local elections.
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