There have been more reactions to the recent amendment of the Anambra State Electoral Law 2024, which was amended for the second time since the law was passed about two months ago. The Anambra State Electoral Law took the Anambra State House of Assembly only two days to be passed. The expeditious passage of the bill into law hinted at the governor’s intent to conduct the local government election. To demonstrate this, the governor also signed the bill into law without delay, and then, went on to nominate the members of the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission – ANSIEC. Again, the Anambra State House of Assembly screened and approved the governor’s nominees the same day, which further strengthened the expectation that the election would be held soonest.
Governor Soludo’s sudden haste to conduct the local government election in Anambra State is not unconnected with the Supreme Court’s decision that asked the Federal Government to discontinue sending LG allocations to the states’ joint account with their LGAs but send the allocations directly to the LGAs.
Interestingly, since the passage and assent to the Electoral Law, the law has undergone two amendments in only two weeks. The most recent amendment on Tuesday, August 13, has raised some concerns, with many accusing the government of abuse of power and process, as well as an attempt to uphold illegality. Only recently, Chief Edozie Njoku was recognized by INEC as the rightful National Chairman of APGA, a development that immediately put the governor’s political standing in APGA into question, especially as he has not engaged Njoku and agreed with him on how to run the party.
On Friday, the National Administrative Secretary of APGA, Chinedu Okoro, accused Governor Soludo of trying to exterminate APGA and failing to accept peace overtures from Chief Edozie Njoku and his National Working Committee. The latest amendment to the Electoral Law 2024 made provision for the nomination forms of aspirants to Local Government elective positions to be endorsed by serving members of the legislature, national or state, elected on the party’s platform; an addition which has been interpreted as an escape for Barr. Sly Ezeokenwa’s own leadership of APGA, which Governor Soludo has said is the leadership he recognizes. In other words, Governor Soludo is using his privileged position to fight his party’s battle, which the law as of now, is on the side of Chief Edozie Njoku.
Uzu Okagbue, Harvard-trained leadership expert, Chief of Protocol, and Deputy Chief of Staff to the former governor of Anambra State, has described the series of amendments as “reckless” and even more symbolic of some fundamental problem with the government of the day in Anambra State. According to Mr. Okagbue, “These reckless and strategically flawed maneuvers amount to a brazen attempt to pillage local government funds, further entrenching the systemic underdevelopment of grassroots communities,” he said. Emphasizing that the government’s frantic efforts to manipulate the electoral law speaks to even deeper confusion, Okagbue said, “Clearly, the government has lost focus. This situation illustrates the profound truth in the adage, ‘“Those whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad”’.
A group, Sustenance of Faith in Governance – SOFIG, has also reacted describing the amendment as “an act of legislative rascality” while assuring that the law will be thrown out by the court. In a statement released by the group and signed by Dr. Odigbo, they expressed optimism that the law will not stand the test of time. “The purported amendments will not stand the test of judicial harmer that will land heavily on the said amendments if the governor goes ahead to assent to the Bill.”
In various forums, many Anambra stakeholders have wondered why the Electoral Law has to be so amended in such a short time. Others have wondered why the ANSIEC has to fix the local government election for September 28, 2024.
Despite not having had local government elections in the past decade, the people of Anambra are not simply demanding any local government election for formality. Rather, they are calling for a well-executed local government election that adheres to the highest best practices standards. This is especially important in a state led by someone of Prof. Chukwuma Soludo’s caliber as a respected public intellectual.
Ebuka graduated with a second-class upper-division degree in Political Science from the University of Calabar in Nigeria. He furthered his education by obtaining a Master's Degree in Political Science with a specialization in Government and Development Studies from Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Nigeria. His academic background and professional experience have equipped him with a deep understanding of political dynamics and governance issues.
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