New LG Chairmen And Burden Of Leadership

The euphoria, tension, suspense and political permutations among political parties that participated in the just concluded Rivers State Local Government elections, especially during the primaries, political campaigns, election proper and emergence of winners climaxed on Monday, April 19,2021 with the presentation of Certificate of Return to the newly elected Local Government Chairmen and Councillors.
The People’s Democratic Party candidates won all the contested positions in the 23 LGAs and the 319 wards of the state indicating the strength of the party in the state.
The winners of the election revelled in victory amidst massive solidarity in contention of the challenges ahead in fixing the various Local Government Areas based on their electroneering promises.
A major feature of the 2021 LG polls in Rivers was the vigorous campaigns by participating political parties, particularly the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP), whose campaign trains went round the length and breadth of the LGAs.
With the assumptions that Local Government Administration were mere transient political platforms, the new crop of political leadership at the grassroots are startled to a new era of leadership.
Repeatedly, Governor Nyesom Wike had made it clear that any local government chairmen that did not perform creditably would not have a second term.
Speaking at the commissioning of the Ikwerre Local Government Secretariat in Isokpo on December 2, 2020 the governor who was represented by the state chairman of PDP, Ambassador Desmond Akawor reiterated his resolve on second term bid of local government chairmen that had executed people-oriented projects.
“His Excellency, Governor Nyesom Wike has made it clear that if you perform well, you will come back and if you did not perform, you won’t return.
“I, as the party chairman in the state, reiterated with the governor that if you do not perform as a chairman, don’t even think of buying form a comeback”.
Wike, however, endorsed the Ikwerre Local Government Chairman, Samuel Nwanosike, following what he described as outstanding performance on project execution.
The scenario that played out in the PDP primaries where performance was placed as a criterion of return for second term in office deprived many serving LG chairmen a second term in office, except for few that passed the litmus test.
Governor Wike had during the political campaigns across the 23 LGAs stated that LG chairmen must respond to their statutory obligations of providing the dividends of democracy to the grassroots through the execution of people-oriented projects.
The governor who was speaking at the local government grand finale rally at Oginigba Primary School Field on April 13, 2021 stated that since the inception of his administration, the State government had not touched any money that belonged to the local government councils.
“The state government had provided the enabling environment for every local government in the state to perform.
“As a policy of the state we have also decided to address vigorously the security challenges in the state, that is to enable them (Council chairmen) perform their duties of delivering democratic dividends to our people”.
Represented by the Chief of Staff, Government House, Engr. Emeka Woke, the governor explained that before his assumption of office, the local government councils under the previous administration owed past councilors, elected council chairmen and political appointees huge sums of money.
According to him, the state government expeditiously set up a committee to verify the actual amount of money owed past political appointees and ensued that the council caretaker administration paid the debts.
The development made it possible for the elected council chairmen that took over from them to have a seamless transition
As stated by the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim, shortly after casting his vote,
“the 2021 LG polls in Rivers State is a confirmation of Governor Nyesom Wike’s commitment to deepen democracy at the grassroots”. Nsirim also gave Kudos to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission for the peaceful and credible conduct of the Rivers LG polls.
Also in his comments on the LG polls after casting his votes, the chairman of the Peoples Democratic in Rivers State, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, said the Rivers LG polls was successful because of the high sense of political awareness at the grassroots now. The PDP chairman lauded the efforts of RSIEC, security agencies and other stakeholders that participated in the electoral process.
Observers from other states of the country also applauded the peaceful conduct of the 2021 Rivers LG polls. Chairman of the Ebonyi State Electoral Commission, Chief Jossy Eze, who led a team of his colleagues from the 36 state of the Federation on a monitoring tour of the LG polls said, “The peaceful and credible conducts of the LG polls in Rivers State sets the state on an exemplary pace in the conduct of LG polls, we are satisfied with what is on ground in Rivers State, I want to commend the Rivers State Government and the state Independent Electoral Commission for their committed efforts in organizing a credible and fair election contests in Rivers State, we want the experience to be domesticated across the 36 states of the federation.
The whopping victory of the PDP across the 23 LGAs, and 319 wards of the state also proves the party’s supremacy mettle in Rivers State.
According to a lawmaker representing Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency, Hon Dumnamene Deekor, “Rivers State is a PDP State, the people-oriented projects executed by Governor Nyesom Wike has earned the love of Rivers people for the party, the peaceful conduct and massive victory of the PDP at the last LG Polls shows that PDP is fully on ground in Rivers State”.
While savouring their electoral victories, during the presentation of Certificates of Return to them at the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, the new grassroots political helmsmen in Rivers State affirmed that they would live up to their electoral promises by bringing the dividends of democracy to their various LGAs.
Drawing from Governor Wike’s declarations that LGA Chairmen and their councilors must live in their LGAs to dispense democratic dividends to the people, there is a relative alertness on the part of the new LGA Chairmen and Councillors.
Pundits, however, envisage fears that the LG chairmen may as well droop to the temptations and lures of hibernating in the cities and shirking their responsibilities of overseeing their political domains. With the die already cast, many will outstand themselves and earn a second term based on the parameters already set, while others will fizzle out.
The months and years ahead will however determine the fate of the LG Chairmen and their Councillors. The court of public opinion is also complementing Governor Wike’s unwinking surveillance on the LG Chairmen and their councilors.

By: Taneh Beemene