Fresh local government election would be conducted in Imo state.
Governor Hope Uzodinma, said on Tuesday, January 21, during his first broadcast to the people of the state.
The governor promised that the elections would be credible and would take place as soon as possible.
It was gathered that the governor had sacked all the members of the interim management committees in the 27 councils of the state.
The committees were constituted by the ousted governor, Emeka Ihedioha, on assumption of duty in June, 2019, after suspending the elected office holders following a resolution to that effect by the Imo House of Assembly.
The House, in passing the resolution, had alleged that the elected council officials of financial misappropriation.
The suspended executives, all members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), were elected in an election conducted in 2018, during the Rochas Okorocha administration.
But Uzodinma, while hosting the traditional rulers on Monday, January 20, said that pending the conduct of council elections, LGAs would be run by the Directors of Administration and General Services (DAGS).
It was not immediately clear how his stance on conducting fresh council elections would be taken by the suspended APC chairmen.
During the broadcast, Uzodinma pledged that his administration would uphold the independence and autonomy of the Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state.
He said there would be no more deductions from federal allocations meant for the councils.
He also said his administration would restructure the state-local government Joint Accounts Allocation Committee (JACC) to manage council funds.
It would be recalled that Uzodinma came to limelight over the Supreme Court judgement that embattled Ihedioha as governor of Imo state. He was sworn-in on Wednesday, January 15, after collecting his certificate of return from the INEC.
