By Okey Maduforo Awka.
Panic and apprehension can best describe the mood within the ranks of the All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA and Anambra Executive Council following moves by Gov Charles Soludo to reshuffle both the Executive Council and members of the Local government Transition Committee in the twenty one council areas in the state.
Meanwhile, it was gathered that members of the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA have been mounting pressure on Soludo to appoint them as Transition Committee Chairmen and Councillors as well as supper positions into his Cabinet.
Similarly indegenes of Onitsha North and South local government areas have been clamouring that the next Council Chairmen must be true sons and daughters of Onitsha, contending that Onitsha people have not been given the opportunity to serve as Chairmen .
The duo of party members are said to be threatening not to support the second term ambition of Soludo if their demands are not met by the governor .
In the major cabinet reshuffle, four Commissioners may be swapping their positions while two may be dropped a development that may have given impetus to the directive by Soludo that all Executive Council and Transition Committee Chairmen should present their respective achievements in office .
Some Commissioners were reported to have been approaching local government Transition Committee Chairmen to allow them use their respective achievements as their score cards.
Some major stakeholders in the state have been sending delegations and messages to Soludo who is currently in the United Kingdom making cases for their nominees for the governor not to remove them .
But the Special Adviser to Soludo on Political Matters Dr Alex Obiogbolu contends that it is not an issue of party loyalty or membership but competence adding that what matters most to the governor is to redefine governance at the local government level.
“No the governor is looking at competence and ensuring good and populist governance at the twenty one local government areas and it has nothing to do with party loyalty “
“The governor believes in the independence of the local government system. All he wants is the best and it is not true that he is under pressure by anyone”, he said .
Press Secretary to Soludo Mr Christian Aburime said that he is aware of the reshuffling of the local government Transition Committee but noted that he is not informed about the major cabinet reshuffle.
“The process at the local government areas is democratic and that is why he gave a template for the nomination and ultimate appointment of Transition Committee Chairmen and Councilors which has to do with party members and the party was directed to nominate three persons which must include a woman and that is fair, credible and democratic”
“But on the issue of Cabinet reshuffle I am not in the picture of that and I cannot speak on that and only the governor can take that position and it is left for him to make it public or not”, he said.
