Crisis: NULGE president says Ebonyi election may hold elsewhere

Mr Hakeem Ambali, the President of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), says the Ebonyi election for a new executive may be moved to another state.

Ambali said this on Friday during an interactive session with newsmen in Abakiliki, adding that the measure would be inevitable if a hitch-free election would not be guaranteed.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the election fixed for Thursday was cancelled for the second time due to the crisis rocking the chapter.
The NULGE president regretted that the election, which was fixed the first time in February, failed to take place.

He decried the involvement of government in the union’s matter, especially on the issue of electing its leaders in the state.
He, therefore, urged members, allegedly dragging the government into the union affairs, to desist from it.
According to him, unionism is not about politics but service to humanity.
“We are in Ebonyi for the second time to conduct the NULGE election.
“The development was as a result of insecurity as explained by a government team and we agreed because no life is worth losing because of an election.

“Now, we have cancelled the election and as it is, it may be shifted to any state in the country, if the security challenges created by the contestants continued.
“It was shifted the first time in February, and now the second time.
“The caretaker committee has been dissolved and having done that, we are going to set another one that would end in 90 days.
“But that 90 days is not sacrosanct because the election can still hold any day and anytime within 90 days.
“So, if the security situation caused by members continued and it cannot guarantee peace, we have to shift the election to any other state in the country.

“The Union needs democratically elected leaders. Anybody from any local government has the quality to contest,” Ambali said.

The outgone Chairman of the Caretaker Committee, Mr Ogbonna Igwensi, expressed satisfaction with the decision of the national leadership not to conduct the election. (NAN)