By Onwukwe Ezeru, Abia
After eight years, Abia State government at last have decided to conduct Local Government Area election before the end of 2016. The plans for the election in the state was announced barely one week the Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha announced to hold council election in Imo State by January 2017.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Bonny Iwuoha, disclosed this to journalists at the Government House, Umuahia after the state Exco meeting.
He said that the Exco, having critically looked at the merits and demerits of the exercise decided to hold it before the end of
2016.
Reacting over the question on the reason it took the government over eight years to conduct election which held last, January 2008, during
the first tenure of the last government of Chief Theodore Orji, the
commissioner regretted that some of the LGA chairmen who served then messed up the system by borrowing money arbitrarily and were unable to pay till they left office, adding that government decided to take it time and put things right.
The commissioner disclosed that the chairman of the state Independent Electoral Commission was summoned at the Exco meeting where he was told to announce to the public the date of the election, adding that he also used the occasion to brief of their preparedness.
“Government has opened the window for ABSIEC to conduct election and for them to tell us when. The emphasis is that it should be done
before the end of 2016”.
The commissioner pointed out that in line with the federal government
policy to ensure revenue collection and harmonization, the Exco received and accepted the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) policy
document of the state provided by the IGR committee chairman by the
deputy governor.
He maintained that the IGR policy would address all issues relating to
revenue collection and entire problem over time.
