By Praise Chinecherem
The Labour Party (LP) in Anambra State on Friday announced its decision to challenge what it termed hasty amendment of the State Electoral Law by the State House of Assembly.
The State Publicity Secretary, Engr Theo Egbe disclosed while addressing newsmen in Awka shortly after meeting of the newly-inaugurated State Executive of the Party.
State Assembly, recently amended the State Electoral Law, including enabling State Independent Electoral Commission, ANSIEC, to fix local government elections in Anambra for September 28.
Delivering the statement on Friday, Egbe said the party was also getting prepared to participate in the election without prejudice to the outcome of the court processes pending before the court.
He said, “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.
On why the party is challenging the Council election, the State Secretary of the Party, Chief John Okoli-Akirika 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.
His words, “If you look at the law, you will see the section dealing with issues of dispute within a political party. With 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 amended 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.”
Asked if the party’s decision of litigation at the same time participate in the exercise, the LP scribe said the party owe it as duty to people of the state to provide them the credible platform to contest the council elections.
“The LP lawmakers had resisted the legislation in the floor of the house, but were ruled out, the party scrib 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, challenge obnoxious aspects of the law. So there is nothing contradictory in our approach,” he added
