Imo NULGE extols Tinubu, Uzodimma over LG autonomy, polls

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The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, Imo State chapter has commended President Bola Tinubu for his vision and success in achieving local government autonomy within a short time in office.

The group gave the commendation during a solidarity rally/march for President Tinubu and the Federal Government in appreciation of the restoration of local government autonomy in the country.

Addressing members of Imo NULGE who trooped out in their numbers for the rally on Wednesday, the state president, Comrade Charles Okechukwu Okere, described the Supreme Court judgement in favour of LG autonomy as a landmark achievement and the greatest dividend of democracy to Nigerians in recent times.

Okere also used the occasion to salute Governor Hope Uzodimma for being proactive in the pursuit of local councils’ financial autonomy by initiating and embarking on processes to organise local government elections in the state even before the apex court’s verdict.

As early as 9 am, several officials and members of the union from the 27 LGAs of the state had converged at the NULGE state secretariat, chanting songs of solidarity for Mr President and Governor Uzodimma.

The group also displayed placards with inscriptions conveying their gratitude and support to Mr President and Governor Uzodimma and assured the government of their loyalty and continued commitment towards a better local government system in the country.

The workers defied the early morning rain as they marched from their state secretariat through adjoining roads and the busy Owerri/Port Harcourt Motorway, chanting solidarity songs and dancing joyously.

Comrade Okere disclosed that the essence of the solidarity procession was to categorically demonstrate the support and gratitude of Imo LG workers to President Tinubu for adopting a new approach that led to the attainment of local government financial autonomy.

Okere recalled that past civilian presidents had attempted to rescue the LG system from the stranglehold of state governments by approaching the National Assembly but failed, but President Tinubu adopted a pragmatic approach to end the logjam.

He commended the judiciary, especially the judges of the Supreme Court, for their courage in delivering the sound judgement, stressing that the verdict of the apex court is in the overall interest of Nigerians, not council workers alone.

He commended the workers for the success of the solidarity rally, saying, “We are gathered here to tell Nigerians and Mr President himself that NULGE, especially those of us in the Imo chapter, are solidly behind him and the Supreme Court for liberating the local government from the stronghold of the higher tiers of government.

He said, “We want to salute his political will to change the experiment that we have been experiencing over the years by going to the Supreme Court to seek the interpretation of what we have just benefited from today.”

He commended all the judges at the Supreme Court for taking the bull by the horns, adding that today, the local governments have been liberated.

He said, “We also salute Governor Hope Uzodimma for accepting the Supreme Court judgement immediately. He has equally demonstrated his own political will by rolling out his programmes for local government elections even before the Supreme Court judgement came.

“`The meaning is that Imo State, under Governor Uzodimma, had liberated the local government before the judgement.”

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