In a decisive move during yesterday’s plenary session, the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly passed a resolution granting Governor Umo Eno the authority to establish caretaker committees across the 31 local governments.
The motion for this resolution was introduced by Deputy Leader Bob Otobong and seconded by Chief Whip Effiong Johnson, coming at a crucial juncture as the tenure of the current council chairmen expired on the same day.
The outgoing council chairmen were sworn into office by former Governor Udom Emmanuel on December 7, 2020.
Now, with their term concluded, the state assembly has taken steps to address the imminent leadership vacuum by empowering Governor Umo Eno to institute caretaker committees.
Governor Umo Eno conveyed a message during the plenary session, explaining the necessity of these caretaker committees. He pointed out that the absence of budgetary provisions for local government elections in the 2023 budget compelled the state to adopt this interim measure.
Governor Eno assured the assembly that the Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission (AKISIEC) is actively working towards organizing elections at the local government level, underscoring the temporary nature of the caretaker committees.
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