By Emmanuel Ekebe
Early this year, I had in a piece on the need to replace elected Councilors in Delta state who had passed on within a year or less into their 3 year mandate.
I had adduced salient reasons why bye election should be conducted to replace the departed ward representatives.
These had included reenacting a voice for the bereaved Wards, filling a vacuum as well as flagging the respective wards within and beyond the legislative Chambers amongst others.
However, as time went by without response from either the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) and the Delta State government, we had to do a fact check as to why the lacuna had persisted.
It was then discovered that the state government had allegedly “directed that rather than conduct fresh election to replace the late Councilors, their emoluments should be paid to their spouses”.
This, according to impeccable sources was to assuage the challenges arising from the untimely demise of their breadwinners and to also possibly prevent whatever rancour that may be generated from the process of electing replacements.
Incidentally, as noble as this might appear, it is wrong. It is both unconstitutional and conflicting.
In addition to being illegal, we also have instances where dependants of the fallen Councilors have been deprived of the accruable benefits as some “fast fingers” in the system have either misappropriated or diverted the funds for personal use.
What inhumanity to another being where people brazingly steal from the dead without qualms!
Actually, the intent to give succour to the dependants may be worthwhile and humane, but the law is not emotions.
No matter the depth or height, nothing overrides the provisions of the constitution or laws of the land.
The right thing to do in the heart rendering circumstances as we have, is to provide pensionable employment for the bereaved spouse if not employed or provide grants for them to ply a trade.
Also, the deceased’s children or dependants can be placed on scholarship to complete their education to a specified level .
Clearly, apart from the illegality of paying presumed earnings and not gratuity or insurance benefits to the survivors, coupled with the deliberate action of not replacing them over a year after their demise is a disservice to the affected Wards.
There’s no doubt that we all feel the loss of these dear ones but the reality on ground must be taken wholistically .
This is further expedient given the fact that the current local government councils still have a full year to go and to continuously deny those wards from being represented in their respective legislative Chambers is quite unfair and unconstitutional.
After all, INEC is by this weekend conducting a bye election in Rivers state to replace a Senator representing Rivers East who passed on early this year.
Meanwhile, we demand that whosoever that has taken a dime belonging or allocated to the benefitiaries of any dead Councilor should quietly cough out same within the next two weeks to avoid the launching of full scale investigation to expose all persons involved in the shameful act.
Finally, it is expedient that before we call out the Civil Society Organizations and other concerned Deltans to do the dragging, let DSIEC and the Delta State government do the needful promptly.
