The Anambra State chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC), has affirmed that it cannot legalize what it described as the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission’s (ANSIEC) illegality in the local government council election, arguing that the September 28, 2024 scheduled Local Government election in the state, was hurriedly planned to disenfranchise eligible voters and legalise illegalities within the ruling All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) fold.
The Anambra State Chairman of the APC, Basil Ejidike, while addressing journalists in a press conference in Awka, the state capital, accompanied by other executive members of the party, queried the governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, for failing to conduct local government election since two years and six months in office, and the State House of Assembly for amending both the State Local Government law and electoral law twice within one month.
According to Ejidike, ‘The state lawmakers having adjudicated on political parties responsibilities, incl
uding reducing the election activities to 30 days, citizenry who clock 18 years between the year 2023 and 2024 would be disenfranchised since enough time was not provided for review of voters’ register, among others.
‘APC is ready to participate in the election but not in an election that is marred by poor planning and execution.’
Ejidike noted that APC will support any process aimed at democratizing the local government council and called for a level playing field for all political parties.
The party Chairman, however, maintained that APC was prepared to participate in the election once a level playing ground was provided for all the political parties existing in the State failure of which they would be forced to seek other legitimate options to compel the relevant authorities to obey the people yearnings to conduct a credible poll.
He said, ‘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.’
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Ejidike criticized the amendments to the laws favouring the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), calling them anti-democratic and untenable.
‘If the government and ANSIEC continue in their current approach, the APC in Anambra State may be forced to seek other legitimate options, as we cannot be part of an effort to legitimize illegality,’ he said.
Ejidike noted that ANSIEC had not given political parties the opportunity to engage in the planning of the local government council elections.
‘The issue is not about APC not being consulted but rather about the sidelining of all political parties. The Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), which is supposed to act as a critical organ for the local government council elections, was not consulted by ANSIEC. ANSIEC only called a stakeholders meeting that included traditional rulers, town union presidents, religious bodies, and political party chairmen. ANSIEC should have invit
ed political parties to discuss election plans and gather feedback on the best way forward. Its actions suggest that political parties are not considered relevant in the election process,’ he stated.
He added that the APC will collaborate with other political parties in its next steps, emphasizing that the failure of the state electoral body to consult parties critical to the election indicates negative intentions.
Contributing, the APC Anambra State legal adviser, Barrister Chukwunoso Chinwuba, 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. APGA should not use its internal party crisis to undermine the local government council elections.’
He affirmed that the process of an 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.
‘Such an amendment is inconsi
stent with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Anambra local government council law and electoral laws are 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 to 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 Anambra people of their rights. The laws that were amended on 13 August 2024 robbed poli
tical parties of their rights. Political parties are creation of the constitution, and the constitution empowered 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. APC Anambra cannot watch the electoral umpire in the state contravene the constitution,’ Chinwuba said.
Source : Voice of Nigeria