Labour Party threatens to boycott Anambra local govt. polls

The Labour Party (LP) in Anambra State has threatened to boycott the forthcoming 28 September local government elections in the state.

The LP spokesperson in Anambra State, Theo Egbe, disclosed this during a press conference in Awka, the state capital, on Saturday.

PREMIUM TIMES obtained a text of the conference.

ANSIEC published APGA members as LP candidates

On 11 September, Genevieve Osakwe, chairperson of the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC), released the final list of qualified candidates for the local government polls.

Mrs Osakwe said that the candidates and political parties for the elections should begin their campaigns, adding that the list of candidates had been published as required by the Electoral Act 2022.

However, in the Saturday statement, the LP spokesperson, Mr Egbe, accused ANSIEC of publishing the names of “known” members of the ruling APGA as LP candidates for the polls.

Giving an instance, he said a member of the APGA and current transition chairperson of Orumba North Council Area of the state was on the list of persons published by the commission as LP candidates.

PREMIUM TIMES could not independently verify the claim.

The LP chieftain expressed surprise that ANSIEC published the list despite the fact that the party did not sell nomination forms, conduct primary elections, or submit its register or list of candidates to the commission.

“The Labour Party, Anambra State Chapter views this conduct of ANSIEC and Anambra State Government as a 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 Labour Party at large,” he said.

Court actions

Mr Egbe, an engineer, said the LP has, in a letter dated 9 September, informed ANSIEC and people of Anambra State of its intention to boycott the exercise.

He said the party has also notified authorities of the State Security Service in the state and the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State of the development.

The spokesperson added that the LP had served the commission with a pending suit which the party filed against the State House of Assembly challenging the creation of ANSIEC and fixing of the polls.

Mr Egbe hinted that the LP has also filed a separate lawsuit against the commission over the development, but did not give details.

He maintained that the LP has a “total lack of faith, trust and confidence in both ANSIEC” and the process adopted for the polls, which the party argued was in violation of the Electoral Act, 2022.

“In conclusion, the Labour party family of Anambra State pledges to remain law-abiding, even in the face of these glaring absurdities, illegalities and crass provocations, and diligently commit to the legal pursuit of dismantling the sham branded Anambra LGA Council election via the law courts,” he stated.

‘Our appeal’

Mr Egbe said that despite the planned boycott and lawsuits, the LP has appealed to ANSIEC and the Anambra State Government to reschedule the election and prepare the electoral body to conduct it.

This, he said, would enable the commission to conduct an election that “will be based on the rule of law and due process, in which all political parties and voters alike shall meaningfully and procedurally participate.”

“Anambra State has absolutely nothing to lose by rescheduling this unacceptable and inglorious proposed sham called LGA council election for a lawful and legal one to be conducted in the nearest future. Rather the state has so much to gain for it,” the LP spokesperson added.

ANSIEC silent

Mrs Osakwe, the chairperson of ANSIEC, did not respond to calls on Saturday from a PREMIUM TIMES reporter seeking her comments.

She had yet to respond to a text message seeking her comments as of the time of filing this report.