The Abia State Government has announced that Local Government elections would be held this year in the state.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Comrade Bonnie Iwuoha, who made this known in Umuahia, the state capital, Wednesday, said it was part of the decision reached by the State Executive Council (EXCO) during its meeting the previous day.

Iwuoha said the ball was now in the court of the Abia State Independent Electoral Commission (ABSIEC) to work out modalities and announce details of the exercise, including the time when the poll will be organised.

The Commissioner said that the EXCO was briefed by the Chairman of ABSIEC, Justice Igbozuruike Akomas (retd), on the preparedness of the commission to organise the poll before the EXCO gave its nod.

He explained that the decision to hold the local government elections was not much because there was enough revenue but because the state governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, was a stickler for good governance and upholding the tenets of democracy.

“The EXCO yesterday had a critical look at the implications, effects, consequences, and, of course, developments that go with Local Government elections, and the governor, in view of his determination to ensure that things change for the better, that Abia henceforth should be identified with good things, the EXCO decided that local government elections will be held this year in Abia and therefore, requested the ABSIEC to announce the date for the Local Government elections.

“We will now wait for the chairman of ABSIEC to announce when the elections will take place, in line with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the commissioner said.

The last Local Government election in Abia was held in 2007 at the inception of the administration of Chief Theodore Orji.

Also at the EXCO meeting, the Internally Generated Revenue Policy document of Abia State was “received and accepted,” according to Iwuoha.

He said the document would ensure revenue harmonisation and collection in the state, just as the Federal Government was doing, adding that EXCO believed that the IGR policy, produced by the IGR committee headed by the Deputy Governor, Sir Ude Oko Chukwu, would address all issues relating to revenue collection in the state.

•Photo shows Comrade Bonnie Iwuoha.

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