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From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday, said it has finalized plans to boycott the forthcoming local government election in the state.
Barr Peter Uwadiae, State, Publicity Secretary of the party, disclosed this while fielding questions from newsmen in Benin City as regards the position of the party.
Barr. Uwadiae said APC as a party, cannot be seen indulging in illegality all in the name of participating in a local government councils election.
Uwadia alleged that the state government has fixed the date for a local government election to be conducted in the state but has failed to make budgetary allocation for its conduct.
“By the provisions of the constitution, before you can use any Kobo that the tax payers have paid into the coffer of Edo State government today, it must be voted for via the budget.
“Today, as we speak, the provisions of this year’s budget, 2022, there is nowhere that money is voted for election to the councils in year 2022.
“So, where is the government going to get the money to finance this humongous activities.
“Two, as we speak, there is no supplementary budget coming from the executive to the house of assembly to suggest that the money required for a free and credible election will come from the coffer of the government”, he said.
The party’s scribe also queried the amendment of the EDSIEC law by the Edo State House of Assembly which moved the periods of notices of elections from 90 days to 20 days saying, that its abandonment was carried out without the input of the citizens of the state.
“Members of the Edo State House of Assembly, they concocted a document they called an amendment to the EDSIEC law. Tell me the reason, why will it be that, it is the most important aspect of that law that they have to amend.
“And before you can amend any law that is significant to the people, the input of the people must be put into that amendment.
“And what is the amendment? That the requisite notice from the EDSIEC to all the political parties which the electoral act has made 90 days, is now being watered down by the so called amendment to be 20 days and we said, that can’t be.
” Any provisions of any legislations from the house of assembly that runs contrary to the provisions of the electoral act which is the act of the national assembly to the extent of causing inconsistencies, is null and void.
“As far as APC is concerned in Edo State, that amendment, it is novel, and it is null and void.
“Again, how do you amend such important aspect of the law? There are plethora of authorities that said such amendment before it can be done, it must be two-third majority of the house of assembly members that will vote for such amendment to be carried out.
“Today, Edo State House of Assembly does not have a two-third majority by the provisions of the law, no house of assembly can function when the membership is less than twenty-four or more than forty.
” In other words, the constitution provides that the membership of house of assembly should be between forty or 24. So, anything short of that, is not an house of assembly”, he said.
He said the party is putting all its paper works together to challenge the legality of the process in court just as he vowed that the party will not participate in the forthcoming local government councils election in the state.
