From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State has rejected the September 28, 2024 local government election date as fixed by the State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC), saying it lacked adequate planning, credibility and due process.
The party said that it cannot legitimize what it described as illegality in the local government election and charged ANSIEC to extend the election date between 90 and 150 days to enable the political parties to participate fully.
The state chairman of the APC, Chief Basil Ejidike, stated this while briefing newsmen on ANSIEC’s planned September 28 local government elections.
Ejidike said the party was ready to participate in the elections but not in an election that is already marred by poor planning and execution with ulterior motives by the APGA led government.
He said the APC would support any process aimed at democratising the local councils and called for a level playing field for all political parties.
“We expect a minimum level of credibility and transparency in the election. Though we do not expect perfection, there must be a minimum benchmark of credibility.
“We are yet to be convinced that Governor Chukwuma Soludo is prepared to conduct the local government election in the state.
“For instance, the first stakeholders’ meeting organised by ANSIEC that was supposed to be for political parties under the umbrella of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) was hijacked by traditional rulers, president generals of communities and religious leaders under the directive of Governor Soludo.
“As it stands now, I can authoritatively tell you that the APC under my leadership is of the opinion that the constituted ANSIEC, chaired by Lady Genevieve Osakwe, is not fully ready to conduct the exercise in a transparent and credible manner. How can we participate in the election, where most of the concerned political parties have not commenced the sale of interest and nomination forms to their intended aspirants, no stakeholders’ meeting between the state electoral body, political parties and the security agencies to brainstorm on how the exercise can be conducted in a free, fair and credible manner. This is a massive signal that the election is based on personal interest of the APGA led-government in the state,” he stated.
The party chairman further stated that APC would collaborate with other political parties in its next steps, emphasising that the failure of the state electoral body to consult parties critical to the election indicates negative intentions.
Also, the APC’s state legal adviser, Mr. Chukwunoso Chiwuba, said the local government and electoral laws amended on August 13, 2024, cannot be considered valid amendments since the election process had already commenced at the time of the amendment.
According to him, the APGA should not use its internal party crisis to undermine the local council elections.
He said the process of election commences on the day of the announcement, and wondered why the State House of Assembly would amend the electoral law when the process has already started.
According to him, such an amendment is inconsistent with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, stressing that Anambra local government law and electoral laws were derived from the Nigerian Constitution and cannot stand alone.
“By the provision of Section 7, Subsection 4 of the Constitution of Nigeria, the government of a state shall ensure that every person who is entitled to vote in an election shall have the right to vote in local government elections just like in other elections. Even when you look at the timetable provided by the Anambra State Electoral Committee, it contravenes the position of the Constitution. For an election to be held, there must be an update on the voter registration, and this was not done. So, those who are now qualified to vote but were not 18 years old in the last election would be disenfranchised.
“The Anambra State Electoral Committee conducting the election without updating the voter register will amount to disenfranchising Anambrans of their rights. The laws that were amended on August 13, 2024, robbed political parties of their rights. Political parties are creations of the Constitution, and the Constitution empowers political parties with their rights and functions; the amended laws cannot take that away. Elections are contested by political parties through their candidates, and the Anambra State 2024 electoral laws cannot validly transfer the power of parties to anybody. The Anambra APC cannot watch the electoral umpire in the state contravene the Constitution,” he warned.