Imperatives of local government elections in Abia State

The local government, referred as the third tier of government, may be defined as the lowest level of government in a country established by law to ensure the effective and efficient administration of the rural areas. The United Nations Department of Public Administration defines the local government as the political sub- division of a country, designed by law and has substantial control of local affairs including power to impose levies and exact labour for prescribed purposes.
The local government is an indispensable unit of the federation. It is the tier of government nearest to the people. Part II, section 7 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended 2011) guarantees that the government state shall ensure the existence of local government under a law which provides for the establishment, structure, composition, finance and functions of such councils.
The local government was created to bring government nearer to the people; act as the instrument for political education; and promotion of rural development. Others are to mobilise and harness local resources; and to serve as link between the rural dwellers and other tiers of the government.
However, for more than half of a decade in Abia State, the local government elections have not held. The local government system has been under a caretaker arrangement. While this has attracted barrage of criticisms in the past, it has seriously hampered progress and development in the state. That is why the recent pronouncement by Abia State Independent Election Commission (ABSIEC) fixing local government elections for chairmanship and councillorship positions in all the 17 local government councils and 292 ABSIEC wards for December 17, 2016 is cheering news. The announcement also directed all candidates wishing to participate to proceed to ABSIEC’s headquarters for collection of nomination forms not later than October 14.
Abians are viewing the action beyond the exercise of the powers conferred on the commission by Part 11, Third Schedule, Section 4, Sub-section (a) and (b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and pursuant to the Fifth Schedule, Section 160 of Abia State Local Government Law No. 9 of 2002. This action portrays Governor Okezie Ikpeazu as a man whose words are his bond. It portrays him as a man who has departed from the previous ways of doing things.
The important roles the local government plays in a system cannot be overemphasised. The obligatory roles of the local government are those provided by Schedule IV of the Constitution. They are functions, which the local government is bound to render because of its knowledge of local problems. The obligatory roles include maintenance of rural roads, streets, and drainages; construction and maintenance of motor parks, public conveniences and cemeteries; provision of health facilities such as clinics, dispensaries and maternities.
Others are disposal of refuse; building of primary schools; collection of rates; radio and television licenses; licensing of bicycles, trucks, wheel barrows; naming of streets, roads and numbering of houses, registration of births, deaths and marriages; establishment and maintenance of recreational facilities; and regulation of outdoor advertisements, movement of domestic animals, shops and kiosks, restaurants and food and liquor renders.
Indeed, it is not out of place to state that these functions have suffered for lack of a democratically elected local government executives in the state. In addition, Gov. Ikpeazu’s developmental strides in the urban centres cannot be complete if there are no complementary efforts in the rural centres because this is where the bulk of the residents dwell.
No wonder the administration in its bid to to close the gap of infrastructural development between rural areas and the cities, constituted the Abia State Rural Infrastructural Development Initiative (ASTRIDE). The initiative is charged with providing at least one project in each of the 184 INEC wards in the 17 local government areas of the state.
The forthcoming local government elections have provided Abians another window to contribute meaningfully to the development of the state. There is a passionate appeal to shun our differences and embrace this excellent opportunity. ” There is no tomorrow better than today”!

Ukegbu, a public policy analyst writes from Umuahia.