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Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha, has insisted that local government election must hold in the next six months as promised.
Governor Ihedioha reiterated this during the swearing in of chairmen and members of Imo State Independent Electoral Commission (ISIEC), Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ISOPADEC) boards, special advisers and permanent secretaries at the Sam Mbakwe Exco Chambers, yesterday.
The governor said he promised on assumption of office to strengthen existing institutional frameworks through good governance and community mobilisation and therefore, tasked the newly sworn in commissioners to correct anomalies of the past and restore confidence and hope of Imo people in government.
“We are coming at a time our state had gone through trying times. The task before us is to correct the anomalies of the past and restore confidence and hope of Imo people in government.
“It is a time to recover lost grounds and take our pride of place again in scheme of national development. Your appointment, respectively, is a call to duty and not an invitation for celebration.
“I believe that ISIEC and ISOPADEC will play great roles in the operation to revive our state. While ISIEC will be expected to put a machinery in motion for a free and fair election in local governments, in a no distant time, ISOPADEC is charged to drive rural infrastructural development as well as provisions of social and public amenities to the state especially in the oil producing communities.
“I need to remind you that for ISOPADEC, you will not function in breach of the laws of our state. To ISIEC, I clearly stated on June 18, during the inauguration of the Local Government Area Interim Committee that local government elections must hold within six months.
“I still maintain my position that election should hold in six months time, you have no time left as you must give 150 days notice of election as required by the Electoral Act.”
ISIEC Chairman, Julius Onyenaucheya, responded on behalf of others, and promised that ISIEC would conduct the freest and fairest election ever witnessed in the state and pledged the loyalty and cooperation of all appointees to the present administration and the rebuilding process.
