By Eunice Nnachi, Yenagoa
THE Labour Party, LP, Chairmanship candidate for Sagbama Local Government Council in Bayelsa State, Mr. Christopher Timi-Ogosi, has berated Governor Douye Diri over the failure to conduct local government elections almost one year after the expiration of the former council leadership.
Timi-Ogosi, in a chat with newsmen in Yenagoa yesterday described the state government action as a violation of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.
The council chairmanship hopeful noted that it is sad that Governor Douye Diri has allowed the issue of local government elections to dent his records, described the governor’s actions as undemocratic, and a major failure of the prosperity government.
His words: “The refusal by Governor Douye Diri to mandate the Bayelsa State Independent Electoral Commission, BYSIEC to conduct the Local Government elections almost a year after the expiration of the tenures of the past Chairmen, is a violation of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which he swore to protect and uphold.
“The failure to conduct local government election is antithetic democracy, and a major failure of the prosperity administration.
“There is no justification whatsoever for not conducting the council elections, it is a move to drag the state backward and denying the people at the grassroots level the opportunity to participate in governance, and also denying them their allocations from the federal government.
“The local government areas were created to help establish, nurture, sustain democracy, and democratic political culture, adding that giving them powers to function effectively stabilizes and strengthens the political system.
“Section 7 subsection 1 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, provides that a system of local government by democratically elected local government councils is guaranteed under the section of the Constitution; and the Government of every State shall subject to section 8 of the Constitution, ensure their existence accordingly.”
