….As LP calls for immediate rescheduling for a legally adoptable process
By Tony Ezike
Anambra State Executive Committee of Labour Party NG has faulted and rejected what it described as illegal publication of known APGA members and serving local government Transition Members as Labour Party, LP candidates ahead of the September 28th, local government and council elections.
This declaration was contained in a Press Conference organized by the Hon Emmanuel Ugo Emeh led LP EXCO at the State Secretariat Udoka Estate, Awka on Saturday September 14, 2024.
The statement which was read by the LP State Publicity Secretary Engr Theo Egbe, highlighted a handful of perceived anomalies surrounding the scheduled LG polls.
Engr Egbe who reiterated the party’s previously confirmed position that the scheduled election is illegally packaged, as being midwifed by the hastily conceived and ill prepared Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission, ANSIEC. He noted that the exercise is not worthy of the party’s participation, considering that the position of Labour Party in that regards remains irrevocably unchanged.
The statement added that the party’s unchanging position over partaking in the election which it described as a charade has been officially conveyed to ANSIEC and the entire Anambrarians equally put on the same notice.
Similarly, the Labour Party spokesman hinted on the party’s suit No A/265/2024; LABOUR PARTY VS ANAMBRA STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY & ANOR, which has been duly served on the commission and is still pending in Court.
Furthermore, the party attributed its official letter dated September 9th to ANSIEC, which was copied to relevant security agencies and other notable bodies as a confirmation of its lack of faith, trust and confidence in the election as scheduled, describing the process as illegal and completely at variance with due process and the Electoral Act, 2020.
The party contending that it could not have presented candidates for the LG polls without conducting intraparty elections, selling nomination forms or submitting its register to ANSIEC, all of which constitutes the statutory requirements for confirmation and participation in an election of that nature.
The statement revealed that the purpoted list of LP candidates which was dubiously published, contained names of known members of the defeated Soludo faction of APGA, including the name of an incumbent APGA Transition Committee Chairman, Orumba North LGA, Mr Nwafor Chinonso Charlesmary, including names of previous and serving TC Committee Members of APGA extraction.
To this end, the Anambra State Chapter of Labour Party led by Hon Emmanuel Ugo Emeh in its submission views this conduct of ANSIEC and Anambra State Government as criminal assault on due process and a rape of the Electoral Laws of the land, as well as unwarranted provocation of the law-abiding members of LP at large.
The party leadership however, pledged to remain law-abiding, even in the face of glaring absurdities, illegalities and crass provocation, while diligently committing to the legal pursuit of dismantling the sham branded Anambra LGA Council election via the law courts, the statement added.
In conclusion, the LP in good conscience appealed to ANSIEC and Anambra State Government to save Anambra state the enormous resources clearly billed for wastage by jettisoning the proposed LGA Council election and opt for a properly organized LG elections, to be conducted by a properly equipped ANSIEC that would be guided by rule of law and due process, in which all political parties and voters alike shall meaningfully and procedurally participate.
In his remarks, the State Secretary of Labour Party, Hon Barr CJ Okoli Akirika warned against setting a precedence that could undermine the provisions of the law. Addressing newsmen shortly after the Press Conference, the former Commissioner for Lands noted that the ANSIEC contravened its own law by publishing a list of candidates which is likened to the controversial cases of unknown bishops and unknown gunmen, adding that Labour would not like to be associated with unknown candidates.
Barr Akrika queried the behind the scene nomination and publication of candidates for a political party which has earlier made its position on participation clear to both the commission and other relevant stakeholders, and sought to know the rationale behind publishing particularly APGA serving officials as LP candidates for an election without the consent of the party heirachy in the state.
“This is the height of disregard to due process”, he said. He further faulted the ANSIEC clearance of LG Chairmanship candidates from Idemili North, Idemili South, Awka North, Awka South, and Nnewi North where the commission claimed that LP purportedly sponsored candudates for the LG polls without running mates.
The Party Scribe argued that no matter the perspective from which anyone wants to assess what ANSIEC has done, it cannot by any stretch of imagination stand the test of procedure, morality and legality.
Anambra State Chairman of LP, Hon Emmanuel Ugo Emeh made some important clarifications with reference to ANSIEC law, whereby he noted that the so-called list published by the commission was not duly signed by the State Chairman and Secretary of the party as required by law, so one wonders where the commission generated the names they published from, considering that none of the listed candidates was nominated or known to the party.
