While inaugurating the present local government mayors and their deputies in Awka on October 2024, Governor Chukwuma Soludo charged them to champion and deepen development at the grassroots level.
The Governor urged them to focus on providing basic amenities to the people and improving the lives of the citizens in their various council areas.
While emphasising on the importance of accountability and transparency in the handling of public resources, the Governor advised them to avoid corrupt practices and ensure that public funds are used judiciously to benefit the people.
The mayors are now nearing the end of their first term in office and some of them have commence the race for re-election on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, waiting to slug it out with candidates who will emerge from other political parties.
The voters have the right through their votes to re-elect them or vote them out depending on their scorecards.
When the candidates commence their electioneering campaigns, the electorate should examine carefully the antecedents, achievements and contributions of those who served before and others who just emerged irrespective of political platforms before giving their support.
Some Council Chairmen have performed commendably well through provision of basic amenities in their council areas like road construction, borehole water schemes, renovation of public buildings, interventions in the agricultural sector to achieve food security, among others, while others did not make appreciable impact within this period.
The voters should look at the policy thrust of each candidate on issues that impact directly on their lives and future of their communities and how far those who served before kept their campaign promises Integrity and transparency are vital virtues a leader should possess to provide the desired focused leadership that will meet the expectations of the electorate.
So, the voters should look at tract records of the candidates in promoting honesty, accountability and transparency in governance as well as their leadership style and fiscal discipline to determine the level of support they will receive.
Voters should resist the temptation to compromise their mandate by shunning vote buying in any form.
It is the right of the electorate to demand accountability and the time to do so is now.
