The Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Anambra has said there was no agreement between it and the Anambra Government over the non conduct of local government elections in the state.
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IPAC made the clarification when it renewed the call on Gov. Willie Obiano to conduct council polls at a news conference in Awka on Tuesday.
Peter Okala, Director of Media to IPAC Chairman in Anambra, who read the statement, said the council was calling on the Minister of Justice to direct stoppage of further disbursement of local government allocation to Anambra until there was a duly conducted election.
IPAC alleged that there was fraud in the local government system in Anambra as the state governor had failed to conduct council polls since he came to power in 2014.
“IPAC has written all relevant agencies of government, including the AGF and the FAAC to forthwith withhold the local government funds accruable to Anambra State.
“We mandate the state accountant general and other agencies in the state to account for the billions of Naira so far received.
“Other decisive action taken by our great council is to organise a stakeholders meeting, comprising traditional rulers, market leaders, civil society organisations and the mass media to enlighten them on this matter of urgency.
“We want them to become a part of the campaign to stop the nefarious activities at the grassroots,” it said.
The group described as untrue, the rumours making rounds that its members took N15million each from the state government to look away from asking questions about the non-conduct of council election in the state.
Okala said the story was handiwork of those who were benefitting from the extant system, vowing that they would not be cowed from acting in the common interest of the people.
He said the non conduct of council election had led to the underdevelopment of the grassroots.
On the deregistering of some political parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission, IPAC in Anambra said it was a nullity as INEC could not say which party won election when it had not been conducted at the council level in most states.
In a reaction, the Anambra government said the call by IPAC for stoppage of council funds to the state was unpatriotic.
C-Don Adinuba, Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment in Anambra told journalists that it was wicked for anyone from the state to write to outside agencies to ask that the state be deprived of its funds.
According to him, the matter is still in court as I speak. It is at the Supreme Court. Some people took the state to the state High Court and won, but we appealed and won and they went to the Supreme Court.
“So, we are barred from conducting the election until that matter is done with.
Adinuba described the call by IPAC as the handwork of some fifth-columnists, asking that they be ignored.
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