Federal legislators who were elected on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance have praised Prof. Charles Soludo, the governor of Anambra State, for his dedication to the fiscal and managerial independence of Local Government Councils.

They characterised as false the allegations made by lawmakers from the Labour Party that Governor Soludo was moving to remove autonomy from the 21 Local Government Areas in the State of Anambra through an executive bill that is now being considered by the State House of Assembly.

Remember how the LP National Assembly caucus, led by Senator Tony Nwoye, had said last week that Soludo was using a gimmick to pass the State and Local Government Joint Account Law, characterising it as a way to get around the Supreme Court ruling that gave the third level of government financial autonomy.

In a statement distributed following the APGA legislators’ gathering on Saturday night, the caucus urged its LP counterparts to work with Governor Soludo to advance Anambra State.

Upon reading the communiqué, Paschal Agbodike, the head of the APGA caucus in the House of Representatives, stated that the proposed Anambra State Local Government Administration Law, 2024, has been misconstrued as an effort to weaken local government sovereignty.

“Governor Soludo remains committed to ensuring good governance and accountability,” stated a portion of the communiqué.

“He is committed to promoting growth and prosperity for all Anambra residents as well as strengthening local government autonomy.

“The proposed law does not contradict the Supreme Court’s ruling on local council financial and administrative autonomy, despite what Labour Party lawmakers claim.”

Agbodike, who represents the Ihiala Federal Constituency, described the accusations against Governor Soludo as “baseless and misguided” and pointed out that the country’s current laws provide states the authority to control grassroots administration.

“States have the absolute authority to create, organise, fund, and oversee local government councils,” he stated, citing Section 7 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended).

The APGA lawmakers claimed that if the bill is signed into law, it will alter the nature of governance in the South-Eastern State, while pleading with the LP National Assembly caucus to “cease their cheap political theatrics and recognise the importance of collaborative governance for Anambra State’s progress.”

Enhancing cooperative development efforts between the state and local governments is the goal of the Anambra State Local Government Administration Law, 2024.

“It will guarantee cooperative efforts, such as clauses covering salary, pensions, and gratuities for elementary school instructors.

The communiqué went on to say, “It seeks to establish necessary oversight from the State House of Assembly to ensure accountability and proper governance and to provide counterpart funding for Universal Basic Education projects.”

Together with other things, the proposed law “provides a robust legal framework for joint expenditures between state and local governments and aligns with the Supreme Court’s July 11, 2024, ruling on financial autonomy,” the APGA lawmakers urged their LP counterparts to remember this.

A vote of confidence in Soludo was also voted by the APGA MPs, who called him “the best governor in Nigeria” and promised to keep working with him to improve Anambra State’s governance.