By Vincent Ujumadu

Awka — THE Anambra State branch of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday faulted Governor Willie Obiano’s handling of the allocations accruing to the local governments in the state and demanded immediate release of the statement of account showing income and expenditure of the 21 local government areas of the state since the inception of the administration.

In an open letter to the governor made available to reporters after the party’s state executive council meeting in Awka, the state chairman of PDP, Prince Ken Emeakayi, who read the letter also urged the governor to direct the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission, ANSIEC, to start the process for the conduct of the next local government election to ensure a smooth hand over since the tenure of the incumbent council officials would expire in January next year.

The letter read: “We have noted with dismay that the local government system in Anambra State has become non –functional and redundant under your watch, with no new projects, while the projects hitherto initiated by the Peter Obi administration have all been abandoned.

“We also have it on good authority that Your Excellency is planning to appoint caretaker/transition committees to manage the affairs of local government councils in Anambra State at the expiration of the two –year tenure of the present elected chairmen and councilors in January, 2016 contrary to the provisions of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Anambra State Local Government law respectively.”

The party regretted that the state government had continued to administer Ihiala and Nnewi local government areas without legitimate council executive members, contrary to court decisions on the matter and urged the governor to direct ANSIEC to conduct without any further delay, bye elections to the office of the chairmen.