ENUGU—Uneasy calm pervades the firmament in Enugu State over the fate of 17 Local Government Area elections due next month. Council elections ought to hold every two years as enshrined in the state’s laws following the expiration of the incumbent chairmen’s tenure come December 2015. Vanguard investigations showed that party primaries should have been conducted last month,while council polls slated for next month to enable the new chairmen takeover by January 2016. However,no activity towards the actualization of the council polls have commenced forcing expectant residents to resolve that Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi may be thinking of appointing council administrators to man the 17 Local Government Areas. A dependable Source told Vanguard that the governor’s decision to appoint council administrators may be connected with the colossal cost of conducting elections and the luxurious lifestyle of most council chairmen who own choice properties in Enugu metropolis at the expense of payment of workers salaries. According to the source,”ex-governor Sullivan Chime started a tradition of buying brand new cars for each Councilor in 260 wards in the state. He did this for eight years in office. Now,there is economic meltdown. I do not think Ugwuanyi can afford to buy 260 brand new cars for the Councilors that will emerge at the council poll. “I think the governor is battling with financial difficulty. That is equally the reason why he has ordered a biometric exercise to ascertain the actual number of local government staff in order to cut costs. “He is miffed over the ostentatious lifestyle of most these chairmen who have built estates for themselves with council funds.”
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