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Chairman of Abia State Independent Electoral Commission, ABSIEC, Prof. Mkpa Agu Mkpa, has stated that the commission could not conduct the local government council election scheduled for Friday, 19th May, 2023, because of the two court orders restraining the commission from going ahead with the polls.
ABSIEC had fixed local government elections to hold on May 19 to elect chairmen and councilors in the 17. councils and wards of the state.
However, Abia State High Courts sitting in Bende and Arochukwu judicial divisions, had restrained the commission from conducting the polls.
Mkpa explained that the commission was yet to vacate court injunctions from the Arochukwu and Bende High Courts, which restrained ABSIEC from conducting the election.
Vanguard gathered that the strike declared by the judiciary workers in the state also made it impossible for the workers of the commission to resume work for the polls.
He said; “Incidentally, we have some encumbrances, hitches here and there. Our offices are under locks by NLC, and they went there to chase everyone out. There is no chance that the situation would improve by tomorrow when the election is supposed to be held.
“Furthermore, we are expecting that two court orders served us from Arochukwu and Bende High courts baring us from conducting the election would be vacated. ABSIEC, as a law- abiding commission, we wouldn’t want to be charged for contempt of court. So, we are waiting for the court order to be vacated.
“We are also hoping that Labour would resolve their issues and allow our workers to return to their offices. As a result of the court injunction, parties have also not come out to purchase forms, and the time is fast-moving. I’m afraid, it’s neither here nor there.”
Vanguard further gathered that while the Labour Party, LP, and Young Progressives Party, YPP, described the polls as a waste of time, some chairmanship and councillor ship aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were said to have bought nomination forms in preparation for the elections.
Most of the opposition parties insist that the Governor Okezie Ikpeazu led PDP administration, which has a week left to the expiration of its tenure on May 29, has no business conducting council polls.
Vanguard
