Governor Soludo Dismisses All 21 Transition Committee Chairmen

Governor Soludo Dismisses All 21 Transition Committee ChairmenThe outgoing chairmen have been instructed to transfer control of their councils to the Heads of Local Government Administrations (HLGAs).....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

This directive follows the end of the transition committee chairmen’s tenure and coincides with growing public calls for local government elections in the state.

The instruction was outlined in a letter dated May 17 and signed by the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Community Affairs, Collins Nwabunwanne, which was cited by The Nation.

The letter stated: “Following the expiration of your tenure as Transition Committee Chairman, you are hereby directed to hand over the affairs of your Local Government Council to the Head of Local Government Administration (HLGA) in your respective Local Government Councils.

“This directive takes effect from Monday, May 20, 2024. Thank you for your service to the state.

“All replies should be addressed to the Honourable Commissioner.”

Previously, Soludo had instructed party stakeholders to nominate candidates for transition committees in their local government areas, with the stipulation that at least one nominee must be a woman from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

The directive, delivered by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, Dr. Alex Obiogbolu, required stakeholders in each local government area to meet on May 18 or 19, 2024, to consider and recommend three candidates for Transition Committee Chairman and three candidates for Local Government Education Secretaries.

The recommendations for Transition Committee Chairmen were to include at least one woman, while those for Education Secretary were to include two women and one man.

Anambra State has relied on transition committees for some time, with the last local government election conducted by former Governor Peter Obi just before the end of his second term in 2014.

Since then, opposition parties and stakeholders have pushed for local government elections, arguing that transition committees have hindered the growth and autonomy of local governments.