Date: 2017-05-12

THE Kwara state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the state government’s reconstitution of Transition Implementation Committees (TIC) for the 16 local government areas in the state.

A statement by the chairman of the major opposition party, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, made available to journalists in Ilorin on Thursday described the constitution of TICs for the local councils for the third time in six months as retrogressive.

Prince Fagbemi, who said that the state government should rather conduct local government election in the 16 local governments, added that the state government had shortchanged the people at the grassroots yearning for development of their localities by its action.

The PDP chairman posited that lack of continuity had been the bane of Nigeria's development, noting that the new set of selected TIC members would have agenda different from that of their predecessors.

He also said that based on constitutional provisions which stipulate only six months as period within which TIC members could administer local councils, his party had made adequate preparation for the council’s poll in the state.

"Only elected council chairmen can bring development to the rural communities. Anything short of this is short changing the people and abridging democracy," Fagbemi declared.

It is recalled that Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed had approved the extension of the tenure and the appointment of new members of transition implementation committees (TICs) for the 16 local councils in the state on Wednesday.

According to a statement by Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Isiaka Sola Gold, the new appointments and extension follow the expiration of the tenure of the previous TIC members.

Alhaji Gold added that Governor Ahmed made the appointments and extension in exercise of powers conferred on him by the Kwara State Local Government Law 2008.