The Labour Party (LP) has dragged the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) to a Federal High Court sitting in Awka, state capital over, the publication of list of names purporting to be the party’s candidates in this Saturday, 28 September local government elections in the state.
Other defendants in the suit marked FHC/AWK/223/2024 included the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Inspector-General of Police (IGP), director-general of the State Security Services (SSS) and 14 others listed as LP chairmanship and councillorship candidates in the elections.
Publicity Secretary of the LP in Anambra State, Chief Theo Egbe, who disclosed the party’s legal action at a press briefing held at the party’s secretariat in Awka on Friday, stated that the party had already announced its withdrawal from the local government polls, describing those listed as LP candidates for the exercise as “fake”.
He stated that out of the 21 local government areas of the state, ANSIEC published a list of candidates purporting to be LP candidates in about eight local government areas. He listed the local government areas to include Idemili-North, Orumba-North, Nnewi- North, Aguata, Awka-North, Oyi and Anambra East.
He noted that LP pulled out of the election contest because the amendments of the Act establishing ANSIEC carried out by the State House of Assembly, and provisions in the law concerning the conduct of the local government polls, as well as election guidelines issued by ANSIEC, were allegedly manipulated against opposition parties.
He described those listed as candidates of the LP as mostly serving as Local Government Transition Committee members in the respective local government areas, who are card-carrying memvers of the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
The LP spokesperson stated that there was no division within the party in the state, and that even the Nenadi Usman-led National Caretaker Committee of LP has also endorsed the party’s withdrawal from the local government polls in Anambra State.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have also announced their withdrawal from the polls, describing the amendments to ANSIEC Act as illegal to the extent that several provisions in the law are in conflict with the provisions of the Act of National Assembly on INEC.
Also, the APGA national chairman, Chief Edozie Njoku, has declared as illegal, the list of candidates contesting the local government area polls under the party’s banner but who were not endorsed by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party under his leadership.
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