By Okey Maduforo
Against reports making the round over the weekend that Gov Charles Soludo of Anambra state has sacked the twenty one local government Transition Committee Chairmen, the governor has debunked those reports insisting that they were never relieved of their appointments but three months tenure just expired.
The governor further stated that the tenure of the local government Transition Committee Chairmen is renewed after every three months adding that on the expiration the most senior local government Council civil servants naturally hold brief pending the renewal of the tenure of the Chairmen on the approval of the state House of Assembly.
This is coming as Soludo had earlier directed the members and stakeholders of his party the All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA to nominate three candidates which must have a woman nominee from which he would chose the next Transition Committee Chairmen for the statutory tenure of three months.
Currently the three months tenure of the current Transition Committee Chairmen has expired giving room for fresh appointment and approval of another set of Transition Committee Chairmen.
According to the Commissioner for Local Government and Town Union Affairs Mr Tony Collins Nwabunwanne ;
“There nothing to fear about because it has always been a routine thing that on the expiration of the three months tenure of the Transition Committee Chairmen the most senior civil servant in the local government council would hold brief pending the approval of the list of the Transition Committee Chairmen by the House of Assembly “
“This is the way it is being done and there is nothing new about it and recall that every three months it is done and we did it in the last three months and as it were the most senior civil servant held brief until the House of Assembly approved the list”
Nwabunwanne noted that the rumors of the governor sacking the Transition Committee Chairmen is false adding that as the respective local government areas nominate three candidates for the governor to chose , the state House of Assembly would certainly make it’s approvals and if the current Transition Committee Chairmen whose names are submitted to the Assembly they would be cleared and they return back to office .
“So those telling you that the governor sacked the Transition Committee Chairmen are just uninformed about the workings here because it is a routine thing “
“If the name of the current Transition Committee Chairmen appears on the governor’s list the state Assembly would make the approvals and they return back to office and if a new name is on the least the new appointee would take over as Transition Committee Chairman on the approval of the legislature ” he said.
Meanwhile in the respective APGA stakeholders meetings in the twenty one local government areas some current Chairmen such as Emeka Joseph Orji, Onitsha South, Iyom Amaka Obi Idemili South , Dr Chibueze Ofobuike Aguata made the list of the three nominees while that of Ayamelum local government area could not make the list while that of Onitsha North local government area couldn’t make the list so far.
