Earlier this month, online and social media spaces were saturated with the shocking news of the arrest of the Chairman of Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, Franklin Nwadialo, in the United States.

The reports stated that Nwadialo was arrested upon his arrival at an airport in Texas by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for allegedly running a $3.3m romance scam. He was alleged to have scammed multiple victims online.

Within hours after the report surfaced, Nwadialo’s pictures had circulated widely across various social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook and X.com, thereby gaining both international and local spotlight for the wrong reason.

Just as the scandalous news sent ripples down the digital and mainstream media spaces, there has been palpable silence and anxiety in and around the Anambra State Government House over the unexpected arrest of one of their own in faraway United States, as they have yet to make their position known officially on the matter.

And the seeming silence by the Anambra State Government has elicited reactions from both the opposition camps and civil society groups, who have insisted that the state government must make known its position on the matter.

According to them, the arrest of the LG chair has also tarnished the image of the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, and his administration and raised questions about its integrity and recruitment approach, especially as the embattled LG boss was elected under the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance in the state.

Nwadialo, who was elected the chairman of Ogbaru LGA on September 28 under APGA, was arrested upon his arrival at an airport in Texas by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on November 2, exactly one month after he was sworn-in as Chairman of Ogbaru LG by Governor Soludo.

According to the US Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington, Nwadialo used various versions of names to defraud his victims of thousands of dollars online on some websites where he allegedly used false images for his profile and typically told the victims that he was in the military and deployed overseas, so he could not meet them in person.

He was slammed a 14-count charge of wire fraud relating to the communications he had with his victims and the wiring of funds from victims to the defendant and his co-schemers.

Wire fraud is an offence punishable by up to 20 years in prison in the US. The implication is that, if found guilty, Nwadialo risks a jail term of up to 20 years.

It, therefore, means that the present government of Soludo would have wounded up by the time the 40-year-old politician would have been released if he eventually found guilty.

In their reactions to the development, top officials of Anambra State Government have continued to feign ignorance over the plight of the LG chairman in the US, as they claimed they were still studying the situation while awaiting the official response from the US authorities, even though the reports have saturated both local and international media spaces.

For instance, while the state Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, insisted that the embattled local government chairman was not an appointee of the state government, the opposition and civil society groups maintained that the LG chair was part and parcel of the state government having been elected under the ruling party.

“You know the local government chairman is not an appointee of the governor. So, it’s not directly our concern. Local government is now autonomous. Our worry is that he is from our state,” Mefor had stated.

“When the authenticity of the report is confirmed, what the law prescribes is what I believe would happen. I am not aware of any legal provision directing the state government to sack him, especially in this era of LG autonomy where the LG chairmen and officials are no longer under direct control of governors as elected LG officials and not appointed transition chairmen as was the case before now.”

As a result of this, there have been reactions and counter reactions from both the state’s ruling party, All Progressives Grand Alliance, members of major opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party, All Progressives Congress and the Labour Party, as well as civil society groups and citizens of the state, who have insisted that the state government cannot continue to turn a blind eye, while governance suffered at the grassroots as a result of incompetence.

The opposition expressed worry that while the LG chair is away in the US, governance is suffering in the communities of Ogbaru LG.

Worthy of note is the fact that most people of Ogbaru, a coastal area, have fled their homes to take shelter at different IDP camps as their houses are currently submerged by flood as a result of the rising water levels from the River Niger.

Before the contentious state LG elections that produced Nwadialo and 20 other LG chairmen, the last election at that level was held in 2014, thereby making it over 10 years that the grassroots lacked democratic governance.

According to the opposition, the embattled chairman’s arrest, coming just one month after his swearing-in, leaves much to be desired about the LG elections.

The Deputy Publicity Secretary, Labour Party, in the state, Mazi Chibuike Okeke, said, “While it is yet unclear the circumstances behind the arrest of the Ogbaru LG chairman and while he still remains a suspect pending investigation, one thing is clear, his arrest has cast disturbing shadows over the APGA-led government and Soludo’s administration.

“And for a state governed by someone who is believed to have zero-tolerance for such acts of criminality and misdemeanour, the news is disheartening, just as it is distasteful. The nature and scale of the allegations leading to Nwadialo’s arrest in the US has tarnished Soludo’s administration’s image and raised questions about its integrity and recruitment approach, especially as all the APGA candidates, who later emerged winners of the 21 LGAs, were almost single-handedly and practically handpicked by the governor.

“It then raises the concern that these people don’t have the interest of the grassroots people at heart as their intention means they have come to siphon the local government funds and further impoverish the people. The question now is: who oversees Ogbaru LG in the absence of the substantive chairman?”

Also reacting to the development in an interview with our correspondent, a PDP chieftain and spokesman, Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign (2023), Chibuike Uloka, maintained that the lack of a formal statement from the government reflected poorly on both APGA and Soludo’s administration, hinting at a possible complicity or at least an unwillingness to address the allegations.

He said, “The recent arrest of Nwadialo, the newly-elected Chairman of Ogbaru Local Government, casts a disturbing shadow over the APGA-led government and Prof Chukwuma Soludo’s administration. For a state known for producing global icons who uplift both Anambra State and Nigeria’s image, this news is disheartening.

“While Nwadialo remains a suspect pending investigation, the nature and scale of the allegations leading to his arrest in the US tarnishes Soludo administration’s image and raises questions about its integrity and recruitment approach.

“While we await a conclusive verdict on Nwadialo’s alleged involvement, the silence from Soludo’s administration since the news broke is concerning. This inaction only adds to the perception that the administration may be shielding questionable characters under the guise of governance, contradicting the values of transparency and integrity that should be associated with Professor Soludo’s esteemed reputation.”

On his part, the state Publicity Secretary of the APC, Okelo Madukaife, called for the resignation of the embattled LG chair from the US.

“Ogbaru legislature should receive his letter of resignation and examine the content of the criminal charges against him. Details of the particulars of his arrest should be placed before Ogbaru legislature for scrutiny, leading to a proper post-resignation action as he faces his issues in the US. It is not a good advertisement for Anambra State and indeed Nigeria. The state government cannot distance itself from the mess,” he added.

However, while countering the stance of the opposition chieftains, the National Publicity Secretary of APGA, Ejiofor Opara, insisted that the party was not silent on the matter, saying its officials were studying the situation before arriving at a conclusion.

He said, “Actually, we saw it on social media the way every other person did. And APGA as a party is yet to actually sit and study the developing situation and circumstances around it. And when we take an official stand, it will duly be communicated to the media. But as it were, you know that nature abhors vacuum, so, having a replacement for an absentee chairman that is off duty; that is why there is a deputy. So, in his absence, the law doesn’t permit any vacuum, the deputy has assumed the chairman’s responsibilities and fully so too.

“As a party, we frown at any act of fraud or criminality and anything that actually threatens legality, that is why we encourage legal hard work.

“So, if it turns out to be fully established, away from the social media speculations that the LG chair is indicted or possibly convicted for any act of criminality, our constitution permits us to expel such a person from the party. Of course, our constitution cannot go counter to the constitution of the nation or international law.

“The public should be assured that we are studying the situation and they should know that we have a history of standing vehemently against such a criminality, act or any form of misdemeanour from our members. You saw our quick and swift response on the case of the lawmaker who assaulted a Bolt driver, so, if the situation is fully established, we will take our stand.”

Also, the Coordinator, Citizens Rights and Election Monitoring Group, Anambra chapter, Okeke Uzor, slammed the state government for claiming that the embattled LG chair was not an appointee of the state government whereas he is a member of the ruling APGA and was elected under the party on September 28.

Uzor said, “They cannot deny the LG chair, more so, the fact that he is a member of their party. What is playing out confirms our stand that the LG election of September 28 was a charade. It shows that the state electoral commission did not conduct due diligence in the screening of candidates as they were hell-bent on carrying out the scripts written for them by the state governor.

“All other remaining chairmen of the 20 LGs should be scrutinised, there are still characters like Nwadialo among them. This shows that they are not coming to serve the people but coming with the motive to continue to siphon public funds in order to maintain their ostentatious lifestyle.

“The local government as an essential tier of government closer to the grassroots must be in the hands of people of integrity and credibility. As civil society groups, we insist that what is playing out in the US concerning the state LG chair at the moment gives credence to the fact that the current government in Anambra has done little to reassure the Anambra people that it is capable of delivering genuine and morally sound leadership at the local government level, after over 10 years of non-democratic officials at that level.

“It means that those they put forward as elected chairmen cannot uphold the highest standards of ethical conduct, accountability and dedication that reflect governance rooted in service and uprightness to the people. This is unacceptable and our stand remains that the September 28 LG elections remains a charade as no election was held on that day. Our LGAs should not be allowed to continue to suffer in the hands of those who cannot be held accountable to the people.”

Meanwhile, the people of Ogbaru have continually expressed fears about who should be vested with the responsibility of controlling the LG affairs in the absence of the substantive leader.

But the media aide to the National Chairman of APGA, Dr Tony Olisa-Mbeki, assured the people saying there won’t be a vacuum in governance at the LG.

“Regarding local leadership continuity, the law is clear: the legislative arm of Ogbaru LGA is vested with the responsibility to deliberate on the way forward. APGA assures the public that governance will proceed seamlessly, with a decision that reflects both legal guidance and the best interest of Ogbaru LGA. This steadfast commitment to order and lawful governance is at the heart of APGA’s mission, ensuring that the people remain well-represented and served, even in challenging times.

“Soludo consistently preaches accountability, urging leaders to hold themselves to the highest standards of ethical conduct, reflecting his administration’s dedication to governance rooted in service and uprightness.

“The incident concerning the Ogbaru LGA chairman is under legal scrutiny, and while it may prompt questions, APGA’s reputation is built on the collective commitment of its members to serve honestly and responsibly. APGA believes that the strength of its character lies not in isolated instances but in its ongoing dedication to the rule of law and good governance.”