Media Group Demands Transparent LG Election in Imo

As Imo State is set to witness the Local Government Council Election, a media group under the aegis of the Niger Delta Journalists Association, NDJA, has called on stakeholders to ensure peaceful, transparent, credible, free and fair polls even as it seeks collaboration with Imo State Independent Electoral Commission, ISIEC and Civil Society Organizations, CSOs, for the exercise.

In a release jointly signed by its President, Austin Okoro and Secretary, Basil Ukwuegbu informed that the call is part of the association’s mission of advocating a well-ordered society.

The release further stated that as the watchdog of the society, it is imperative to make sure the larger Imo Citizens benefit immensely in the administrative process by holding political officeholders accountable.

The media group urged the Imo State Independent Electoral Commission ISIEC to discharge its duties in a manner that will be acceptable to every participant, to achieve this, it enjoined the Commission to give the State credible, free and fair elections which will ensure the right people emerged as chairmen and councillors respectively.

“This call is necessary because of the autonomy granted to the local government areas in Nigeria by the recent ruling of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. And the robust allocations that will be given to the local government areas. These allocations will be put to optimal use if the right people emerge.

We should recall that for a long time now, the State Governors in Nigeria have been using Interim Management Committee Chairmen to oversee the affairs of the local governments which has not yielded any positive results culminating in the sufferings of the people at the grassroots levels. Roads, electricity, pipe-borne waters etcetera are lacking in rural areas leading to rural-urban migrations and its obvious negative effects in the society” the release partly stated.

The association believed that ensuring transparency and accountability could go a long way to replenish the long-starved local councils and encourage grassroots development for the benefit of everyone mostly, the rural dwellers.

In achieving this, the association called on Civil Society Organizations, and religious cum spiritual organizations to help in supervising the elections to ensure transparency in the conduct of the elections and shun bribery and corruption from desperate politicians and ensure the right things are done.

It also called on the electorate to shun violence during elections, reject bribes from politicians but vote and ensure their votes are counted, the group also advised them to support the right candidates who will deliver the dividends of democracy to them.

On the part of the political parties, the association is urging them to endeavour to participate in the elections to make it difficult for one party to take over the 27 chairmanship seats and 305 Councillor seats in the state.

It also called on the Federal government and foreign elections monitors who will be deployed in the state to ensure ISIEC never rigs the elections but delivers those really elected by the people.