Only LG autonomy will benefit the poor – PDP chieftain

A chieftain of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Nnamdi Iheoma, has said that local government areas in the country must be truly autonomous in words and actions for the citizens to feel the positive impact of democracy.

Chief Iheoma, who had contested for the chairmanship position of Ikeduru Local Government Chairmanship of Imo State, spoke in the wake of efforts by the President Bola Tinubu administration to give LGAs full autonomy, as well as moves by governors to conduct elections at the third tier of government.

He said governments at all levels must coalesce into a force and look for the right people to hold positions of authority for the benefit of all.

“Recently, the federal government came up with the idea of local government autonomy and we celebrated it. It becomes what I call societal excitement.

“One of the problems we also have here is our belief that APC will save Nigeria, PDP will save Nigeria Labour Party will save Nigeria. None of these people can save Nigeria.

“Only Nigerians can save Nigeria. Let us begin to see how we contribute to sharpen the narrative. Local government development is very key…The president should make sure that the system is not an extension of sole administrators from governors.

“A vibrant and robust local government administration is the lowest hanging fruit in solving Nigerians immediate problem,” he said.

He added: “If I am feeling the pulse of the federal government, the pulse of President Tinubu who is driving this process, it would have been proper to say he really want the government to go back to the people at the grassroots.

“That is why he (Tinubu) said if you have not conducted local government election, you are not going to get any allocation based on the Supreme Court judgment.

“But what you get in most states is an extension of some administrators by the governors of the state. In some cases, they create a problem that they can’t even solve by disrespecting their own rules and laws as regards electoral processes. S

“It is not peculiar with one party, so nobody will say it is about APC, PDP or any of that…For me, it is a charade and a destruction of our democratic process, if at the grassroots we cannot get it right.”