The Labour Party in Anambra State says it is challenging what it called a hasty amendment of the State Electoral Law by the State House of Assembly, which introduced a lot of anomalies in the law….READ FULL ARTICLE...READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE ▶▶
The State Publicity Secretary of the party, Engr Theo Egbe made the disclosure in a chat with newsmen at the party’s state headquarters in Awka on Friday.
Recently, the State legislature amended the Anambra State Electoral Law, enabling the State Independent Electoral Commission, ANSIEC, to fix local government elections in Anambra for September 28.
However, the amendments have not gone down with various political parties, one of which is the Labour Party.
Speaking after a meeting of the newly-inaugurated State Executive of the Labour Party, the State LP Spokesperson, Engr. Egbe said the party is shocked at the unwarranted series of amendments, which he noted do not augur well for democracy in the state.
He said the party has headed to court over the numerous hasty amendments, but will also prepare to participate in the upcoming elections.
“Having failed to keep his campaign promise to conduct Local Government Elections within six months of assuming office, Governor Chukwuma Soludo and his defeated faction of APGA, are now under intense pressure to conduct the LG polls before October this year or lose the monthly Local Government funds allocation to a holding account as ruled by the Supreme Court.
”As much as the State House of Assembly did not make any budgetary allocations for the conduct of the LG elections, we are shocked at the speed of amendments after amendments of the State Electoral Laws.
“And after careful study of the amendments, we have resolved to approach the courts to challenge the observed obnoxious clauses in the hastily amended law.
“However, we are getting prepared also to participate in the election without prejudice to the outcome of the court processes pending before the court.
“We therefore enjoin party faithful at the grassroots to prepare for the elections while we work assiduously to release the party guidelines within the next 24 hours.
“We shall remain on constant alert, observation and analysis of unfolding events and will from time to time, update our members with current developing events,” he said.
Explaining why the party is challenging the proposed election and proceeding with participation in the process, the State Secretary of the Party, Chief John Okoli-Akirika said they are participating because they owe a duty to Anambra people to provide them the credible platform to contest the LG elections.
He described the law as an uncanny amalgamation of legality with many illegalities, citing the sections purporting to regulate the conduct and management of political parties.
“If you look at the law, you will see the section dealing with issues of dispute within a political party. With the greatest respect and deference to the State Legislature, that section of the law is not only untenable, it is also an unbridled illegality, being in direct conflict with section 228 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“State Legislatures are not in law, competent to legislate on matters bordering on political parties. But for obvious reasons, which we all know that APGA is having serious internal issues, that was why the governor has purported to amend a law that was made in June. So, between June and August, that law suffered two unwarranted and whimsical amendments. So, we are challenging that aspect of the law.
“On the other hand, we are also challenging the aspect dealing collation of results, which has many devious provisions. One of such states that in the event of violence, they will take the results to an area that will be nominated by the ANSIEC,” he said.
Okoli-Akilika noted that the LP members in the State House had resisted the legislation but were ruled out.
He said, being a law-abiding political party, the Labour Party cannot fold its hands and anticipate the outcome of the election.
“We owe a duty to Anambra people to make sure that we go to the field and test the law they made, while at the same time, challenging obnoxious aspects of the law.
“So there is nothing contradictory in our approach,” Okoli-Akilika posited….READ FULL ARTICLE
