BREAKING: Gov Soludo sacks 21 transition committee chairmen in Anambra

• The last local government election was held by the former governor, Peter Obi, few weeks before the expiration of his second tenure
• Opposition parties and stakeholders are advocating for local government elections, citing state governors’ interference in transition committee chairmen, as a cause for concern.

Chukwuma Soludo, governor of Anambra, has sacked all 21 local government transition chairmen in the state.

The governor directed the sacked chairmen to hand over the affairs of the councils to the Heads of Local Government Administrations (HLGAs).

In a letter signed by the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Collins Nwabunwanne, dated May 17, the chairmen were ordered to hand over to the HLGAs latest on Monday, May 20.

The letter read: “Following the expiration of your tenure as Transition Committee Chairman, you are hereby directed to handover 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, 20th day of May, 2024. Thank you for your service to the state.”

The move comes as a surprise, as there were expectations that Soludo would conduct local government elections in the state, based on public outcry.

Instead, the governor directed party stakeholders to nominate candidates for transition committees.

The special adviser to the governor on political matters, Dr. Alex Obiogbolu, conveyed the message to the transition committee chairmen.

The directive stated: “The party stakeholders in each Local Government are expected to meet on May 18th or 19th 2024, to consider and recommend for his consideration, three persons for the position of TC Chairman and three persons for Local Government Education Secretaries.

The three recommendations for Transition Committee Chairmen shall include at least one woman; while the three recommendations for Education Secretary shall be two women and one man.”

Anambra State is one of the states in the country where transition committees have become the norm.

The last local government election was held by former Governor Peter Obi a few weeks before the expiration of his second tenure.

Opposition parties and major stakeholders have been calling for elections into the local government system, arguing that state governors have stifled the local government system through transition committee chairmen.