Tag: LG Elections

Libera Initiative for Civic Engagement, a youth-led advocacy organisation promoting good governance, has called for the postponement of the Imo Local Government Elections scheduled for September 21.

The Executive Director of the organisation, Mr Samuel Ozonna, made the call in a statement issued in Owerri and made available to newsmen on Tuesday. Ozonna stated that the call became necessary “to ensure a fair, transparent, and credible electoral process”.

He stated that the group was concerned about the “significant procedural and administrative deficiencies” on the part of the Imo State Independent Electoral Commission (ISIEC). He listed some of the deficiencies to include the lack of candidate information, inadequate training, poor voter sensitisation, and non-compliance with guidelines.

“As of today, ISIEC has not published the list of candidates for both councillorship and chairmanship positions across the political parties. The commission only commenced validation and verification of candidates today, September 17, with only three days before the election. This omission severely impairs voters’ ability to make informed choices, undermining the democratic process,” he noted.

Ozonna also stated that the group was worried that comprehensive training for both permanent and ad hoc staff, crucial for a smooth exercise, had not been completed. According to him, voter education and sensitisation efforts have been alarmingly insufficient.

“The public has not been adequately informed about the electoral process, which compromises the ability of citizens to participate effectively. ISIEC has not adhered to its own published guidelines for the election as published by the commission in June.

“This deviation from established procedures threatens the integrity of the electoral process and raises concerns about the commission’s commitment to transparency and fairness.

“To safeguard the principles of democracy and ensure that every eligible voter has the opportunity to participate in a well-organised election, we call for an immediate postponement of the election date,” he added.

He urged ISIEC to address the critical issues promptly and transparently to ensure that the electoral process upholds the highest standards of fairness and credibility.

Ozonna stated that the group remained committed to supporting a democratic process that reflects the will of the people. He, therefore, called on all the stakeholders to join in the demand for the postponement of the elections “until these critical concerns are adequately addressed”.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State has announced plans to kickstart its campaigns for the Oct. 5 governorship election in the state. Senator Ita Enang, the Chairman, APC Campaign and Election Planning Committee in the State, disclosed this at a press conference in Uyo on Tuesday.

He said that the rally to kickstart the party’s campaign for the election would hold on Sept 18, at the Ikot Ekpene Township Stadium. Enang expressed confidence that APC would win all the chairmanship and councilorship positions in the state. He expressed hopes that the state Independent Electoral Commission would provide a level play field to all political parties.

“On Sept. 18, the APC in Akwa Ibom will formally begin local government elections campaigns at the Township Stadium, Ikot Ekpene. The president has taken the bold step to approve autonomy for local governments in the country, so we shall participate in the poll.

“We are confident that we are going to contest, we are also going to win the elections in all the 31 local government areas. We have the number to win. We want to display our majority, our strength, and our capacity in the local government elections,” he said.

Enang said that an APC-controlled third tier government in Akwa Ibom would deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.

“I am sure that the people are not satisfied with the performance of the local government councils in the state, we shall make the difference,” he said.

IPAC vows to boycott Imo LG election

Meanwhile, the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) on Tuesday declared that political parties that make up the body will boycott the upcoming local government elections in Imo State.

The State Chairman of IPAC, Ichie Levi Ekeh, told newsmen in Owerri that the group was disappointed in the Imo State Independent Electoral Commission (ISIEC) preparations towards the election.

The  State Government had scheduled September 21 for the conduct of the council polls. But Ekeh, who is also the state chairman of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), alleged that ISIEC failed to comply with some of the 2024 Local Government elections guideline of the state.

“We have been following the process but in recent times, it appears that the commission has derailed from the election guideline. We expected that candidates would have been given forms to fill and return same for validation, but four days to the election, names of candidates and voters have not been published.

“Page 9, paragraph 5 (8) of the guideline, says that all nomination forms shall be delivered at the place or places appointed by the commission at least 20 days before the date of the election. Today is September 17, which is four days to the election, nothing has been done,” he said.

He also expressed displeasure that the commission declined its inquiry for clarification of certain payments of non-refundable fees in the guideline.

“Instead what they did was to send invitation to candidates to visit their office for the forms and validation. When these candidates got there, they were asked to pay N200,000 for the chairmanship position and N51,000 for the councillorship positions without the consent of the political parties that presented the candidates. It is up to the political parties to protect the interest of candidates,” he said.

Ekeh said ISIEC had not been fair to political parties and therefore, adding that  the body was worried that candidates would not be given level  playing ground to participate in the election.

“As IPAC, we have decided to boycott the election to show our grievances and to show that ISIEC has not done what it should do by following the guideline,” he said.

However in his reaction, the Chairman of ISIEC, Chief Charles Ejiogu, said contrary to claims by IPAC, the commission followed the prescribed guideline for the conduct of the election.

“I do not see any reason why the election will not hold on Saturday. The commission is fully prepared, adequately, sufficiently prepared for the election,” Ejiogu said.

The commission’s chairman also said that training of electoral officers and ad hoc staff would be concluded before the elections.

He said  no fewer than 15,000 ad hoc staff had been recruited for the exercise in 305 wards and 4,758 polling units across the state.

He said the money being paid for validation by candidates at the commission’s office was lawful.

The Imo State Government, on Tuesday, affirmed its commitment to a free, fair and credible Local Government Elections on September 21, saying it has no plans to rig the exercise. The government further declared that Gov. Hope Uzodimma’s popularity and the people-oriented projects across the state would guarantee overwhelming success for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the elections.

The Commissioner for Information, Public Orientation and Strategy, Mr Declan Emelumba, said this in Owerri, while briefing newsmen on government’s preparedness to sweep the polls. Emelumba described the allegation by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that Uzodimma had smuggled in written results to the Imo State Independent Electoral Commission (ISIEC) as “insulting”.

The State PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr Lancelot Obiaku, had in a statement alleged that the State Government was set to rig the polls. Dismissing the allegation, Emelumba described PDP as a “failed party in tatters that is ill-prepared for the election.”

“PDP is in tatters. It is best remembered in Imo today as a failed party. They already know that they cannot win a single ward in the state, which is why they are crying wolf, trying to discredit an election that is yet to hold,” he said.

He berated PDP for always raising false alarms to attract sympathy, instead of going to the field to campaign. According to him, APC is not only strong in the state, but formidable and impregnable as evidenced in the superlative performance it posted during the 2023 governorship election in the state.

“APC won in all the 27 Local Government Areas of the state. PDP could not even win the local government of their governorship candidate. After dragging APC to all the courts, the Supreme Court still affirmed that His Excellency, Gov. Hope Uzodimma, won fair and square,” he said.

Emelumba said no governor with such record would descend low to rig a local government election, moreso, when APC is firmly rooted in the grassroots in the state. He further said that the State Government had no plan to interfere in ISIEC and its efforts to conduct credible, free and fair council polls.

“Those entertaining doubts as to the credibility of the state electoral body already know that they will lose the election. It is a well-known trademark of the PDP to raise false alarms about imaginary rigging of an election because failure is their constant companion,” he said.

He called on the electorate to ignore the antics of a “drowning party” and vote massively for APC as a guarantee for more democracy dividends in the state, especially at the grassroots.