The Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has said local government councils in the country should be granted full autonomy and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) empowered to conduct council elections.
The union deplored the conduct of the local government elections which brought in those it described as “enemies of the people” as unacceptable.
NULGE President Comrade Olatunji Ambali stated this at a media parley in Abuja.
“We demand autonomy for local government whereby INEC will be empowered to conduct council elections. The creation of state electoral commissions has resulted in a lot of abuse and lack of transparency in the conduct of council elections.
“What they are doing now is coronation, appointment and promotion of political jobbers and cronies into local government administration, thereby creating an avenue to siphon council resources.
“That is why NULGE clamours for the conduct of credible and acceptable elections at the council level. If the process is thorough, the leadership would be a leadership elected by the people that would be accountable to them and not to the state government,” it said.
He appealed to the federal government to ensure allocations meant for the local governments were sent directly into their accounts, rather than through joint account with state governments.
“So, council allocations should be directly paid to their account. The lacuna in the 1999 Constitution (as amended) called the joint allocation account is no longer acceptable to Nigerians and NULGE. It must be scrapped, because it gives room for stealing and diversion of council funds by politicians at the state level,” the NULGE boss said
