Ex-Senator makes case for LG autonomy

From: Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
Former chief whip of the Senator, Sen. Roland Stephen Owie, has said that granting of local government councils autonomy would bring development across the country and restore power to the people.
He made the appeal, Friday, while inaugurating the state executive of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) in Benin-City.
Owie said also that the local governments areas across the country were backward because they have no autonomy as they are strictly tied to the apron strings of the state governments and that the only way to experience true development and the dividends of democracy, is for them to be autonomous.
He said the birth of the ADP as a political party in the country is to set things aright and restore power to those it belongs, which are the people at the grassroots.
He said the era of holding political party meeting in government house and deciding who gets what and who not to get was over.
“There will be no more delegate to conduct the election primary. All registered party members will vote for those they want to vote for in their unit. If you are going to elect a councillor from my ward for instance, all those who have registered in the booth will come out and vote for a candidate of their choice and there will be no more delegate.
“Do you know that since we came in 1999, as soon as the governor is elected, Obasanjo created that problem., the governor now takes over from the party. The party chairman, the woman leader, the youth leader, party executive are set aside.
“They now do their party meeting n government house. Never again shall political party meeting be held again in government house under ADP government. It shall be held in the party excos office because any person that is elected is not elected by name but under the party’s platform
“All those who are voting for the governor, all registered members of the party in the state will vote in their unit for the governorship candidate on that day and there will be no more primary” he said.
In his acceptance speech, the new chairman of the party, Mr. Gabriel Oloruntobi, said his drive to make the party strong and vibrant across the country and eventually produce the president of the country would be paramount.
He said the party would not fail to criticize the government when its falls short of the expectations of Nigerians and to also appraise it when it has lived up to its expectations.

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