Progressive Govs Not Opposed To LG Autonomy – APC

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that its governors are not against autonomy for local governments as reported in a section of the media,

describing such reports as a gross misrepresentation of the governors’ position on the issue.

In a statement issued in Oro, Kwara State, yesterday by its interim national publicity secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the governors are only asking that such autonomy must be determined by the state houses of assembly, rather than the National Assembly.

“For those who may have been misled by the media reports, we want to state our stand clearly. In the first instance, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria gives the state Houses of Assembly the power to create local governments. Therefore, autonomy for local governments should be debated at the houses of assembly, not at the National Assembly.

‘’Secondly, giving control of the local governments to the federal government, one of the two federating units in a federalist system of government, will only result in the creation of a unitary government.

‘’And thirdly, all local government administration must be democratically elected in a free and fair election, while chairmen and councillors must be accountable to those who elected them.

It said APC was a welfarist party that believe in accountability and abhor any system where any local government administration was not elected freely and fairly, adding that the appointment of caretaker committees to run local governments is an aberration. “This is our stand and it

definitely does not represent an opposition to autonomy for local governments,’’ APC said.

The party said instead of creating more problems by giving the National Assembly the power to regulate local governments, ways must be found to resolve existing problems for the smooth running of local governments.

“Let us ensure that local government elections are free, fair and credible; let us ensure that chairmen and councillors are accountable.

“Let us stop the appointment of caretaker committees to run local governments because this is undemocratic. Let the state houses of assembly which have the powers to create local governments also be able to determine the issue of autonomy.”