The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has disclosed that the Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, in less than two years, resolved lingering crises in about 76 communities in the state.
These communal crises had been going on for several years and had claimed lives and property in the affected areas due to tussles over who would become the Traditional Rulers and Presidents General in those areas, before the governor’s intervention.
The Chairman of APGA in Anambra state, Chief Barr. Ifeatu Obi-okoye, disclosed this shortly after being conferred with a Chieftaincy title by his Community’s Traditional Ruler, Igwe Uzor Alex Onyiudo of Ogidi town in Idemili North Local Government Area of the state, on Sunday.
He noted that the era of appointing Caretaker Executives in the towns had gone.
According to him, “Before we came into the saddle, we inherited countless crises in so many Communities in Anambra state which had lingering litigations at the courts.
“Those crises had to do with who becomes Traditional Ruler or the President General of those towns and it had in the past claimed lives and property.
“But at inception, Gov Chukwuma Soludo took up the challenge of resolving those crises as most of the pending cases at the courts were withdrawn and elections were conducted under the watch of the Commissioner for local government and Town Union Matters, Chief Tony Collins Nwabunwanne.
“Today, peace has returned to those communities and the era of Caretaker Executives in the towns is gone.
“This is what the APGA government led by Prof Soludo is doing to ensure the security of lives and property and put in place governance at the rural areas.”
Obiokoye further noted that the policy of making Anambra state a livable, prosperous and healthy smart city state was being achieved by restoring peace in the rural areas, adding that with the roles of the respective local government area Chairmen, socioeconomic development has been a reality.
“You see you cannot achieve anything without peace and security and when you have a lingering communal crisis it becomes difficult to develop that area but we salute our governor for what he has done and is still doing in our towns”; he said.
Obi-okoye dismissed claims from some quarters that the process of electing Traditional Rulers and President Generals of communities is suspiciously contending that each community has a constitution and guidelines for the election of their leaders.
He noted that in the event of no gazetted models of election, the government would advise that a constitution be drafted by the communities to become the laws of the land to guide the electoral process.
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