WITH ENO, THERE'S HOPE FOR LOCAL GOVT POLLS, SAYS AKPABIO. (PHOTO)

 With Eno, there’s hope for local govt polls, says Akpabio

...‘Obaseki does not respect democracy, rule of law’

Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno yesterday got a pat on the back from Senate President Godswill Akpabio for last weekend’s conduct of local government election.

Akpabio made the commendation during the plenary.

It was during his  contribution to a motion  condemning the  local government elections in Benue State.

There had been controversy on the outcome of the local government elections conducted on Sunday in Akwa Ibom, especially in Essien Udim Local Government Area, the local government where the Senate President hails from.

Akwa Ibom is governed by a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The party won 30 of the 31 local government areas in the state.

Usoro Effiong, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the election in Mr Akpabio’s local government area.

Many people including Michael Afangideh, the man regarded as the political leader, insisted that the PDP candidate won Mr Akpabio’s local government, not the APC candidate.

At the plenary, Akpabio said the APC’s candidate was the authentic winner of the election because he had the majority of the votes cast during the elections.

He claimed the local government elections were not perfect but appreciated Governor Eno for allowing the APC candidate win the election.

“But let me point out that the elections were not perfect. The local government elections were not perfect.

“My colleagues are even appreciating the state government for remaining steadfast, realising that it would be impossible for the Senate President to lose votes even in his own local government.

And that for him, some governments would have gone ahead to even announce what they like, saying that he belongs to the Federal Government and do what he wants there. But that he announced, the APC chairman of my local government won the elections. That is where the commendation comes from,” Akpabio said.

The Senate President said with the declaration of the APC candidate as winner of his local government, it means there is hope for improvement in the electioneering system in the state and the country at large.

“With people like Governor Eno, there is hope. Not that the elections were perfect. I hope you understand that there is hope for us to have a national dialogue with a view to changing the situation.

“So I actually commend Governor Eno for that. My colleagues have said it was a very uncommon gesture on his part and then Senator Abba Moro, you started this, you brought this up, and then you had support across party lines.”

The Senate President stressed the need to reposition the local government system .

“Now, the world needs to know that it is not limited to only the PDP states, that the share of local government elections goes beyond party lines. I think that’s the conclusion of the Senate and that we need to do something to reposition the local government as a third tier of government.

“What you are seeing here is that it has never really been a third tier of government. So we commend the Supreme Court of Nigeria for the ruling that the funds of local governments should go directly to local governments.

“But then we on our part in the National Assembly must take the next step to ensure that the decision that has been so far given by the Supreme Court becomes alive.”

Akpabio explained that when he was governor of Akwa Ibom State between 2007 to 2015, he conducted credible local government elections twice.

“When I was  governor, you asked me what happened in my state. I did local government elections twice. I remember one of the local governments, even when we did not seem to have opposition then, I was surprised when they called  to ask me, ‘sir, we have a tragedy due to one local government out of 31.’ I was in Abuja. I said, what is that? They said, ‘stakeholders are shouting that it cannot happen.’ I told the chairman, those are the winners,” he added.

The Senate President also said Governor Godwin Obaseki does not respect democracy and the rule of law because he refused to swear-in some members of the Edo State House of Assembly.

“Well, to be honest with you, it’s not everybody that would know that there is a problem. I know that Senator Adams Oshiomhole is itching to talk, because in his state, I think the governor is a PDP. He (Edo Governor) may not have much respect for democracy and rule of law.

“But the governor of a state, he has run the state with 10 members of the House of Assembly to the shame of democracy for almost four years. People that were elected were not sworn into office.”