Ambiguity in Nigerian laws aiding abuse of LG system – PDP chieftain, Onyemelukwe

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

A governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State, Chidi Onyemelukwe, has said the ambiguity in the Nigerian Constitution is aiding the abuse of the local government system in the country.
Onyemelukwe, daughter of late former Vice President of Nigeria, Alex Ekwueme, expressed worries over the neglect of the local government system, saying the neglect of the system, which is the third tier of government amounts to abuse.
The aspirant who spoke to journalists on Sunday at Nando, Anambra East LGA during the second session of the fourth synod of the Anglican Diocese of Niger West, said the recent Constitution amendment could be deployed to correct the anomaly.
She said, “There are certain ambiguities that exist in Nigeria’s constitution that allow state governments to annex and treat local governments as their operational extensions.
“The local governments were created as autonomous governance structures, but this ambiguity has given state governor’s the leverage to abuse the system.
“Such loopholes and neglect of local governments have rendered our federal system dysfunctional.”
She said any meaningful approach to the issue must come through a rigorous constitutional amendment process, adding that if given the mandate of the state, her government will guarantee local government autonomy by holding local government elections within its first year in office.