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•Anambra Speaker Somtochukwu Udeze
By PAMELA EBOH, Awka
The Anambra State House of Assembly at its plenary on Thursday for the third time amended the State Electoral Law.
The lawmakers pegged the tenure of Local Government Chairmen and Councillors to two years.
The new law which was cited as Anambra State Electoral Law, No 2034 will take effect on Sept 12, 2024, making it 16 days ahead of the Sept 28 Council election.
According to the Chairman, House Committee on Public Petitions, Obi Nweke, the amendment was necessary to avoid a lacuna in the future and ensure clarity in the local government system.
The amendment inserts a new subsection 4 into Section 110 of the Principal Law, dissolving the local government council at the expiration of a two-year period, commencing from the date of inauguration.
This means that both Chairmen and Councillors will serve a uniform two-year term, unlike the previous law which specified only the Chairman and Deputy’s tenure.
Speaking during the plenary, the Speaker of the House, Rt Hon Somtochukwu Udeze, who presided over the plenary to complete the three readings of the bill in one day, in line with the Standing Order of the House, said that the amendment aims to avoid ambiguity and unnecessary litigations in the local government system.