Imo PDP,ANPP May Boycott LGA Election

 If feelers from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Imo State chapter, is anything to go by, then the April 27, 2013 Local Government Election in Imo State may be boycotted by the two parties.

The ANPP, in a statement signed by its Imo State Chairman, Orikeze Vitalis Ajumbe in Owerri, cited the illegality of the electoral umpire- the Imo State Independent National Electoral Commission (ISIEC), on the basis that the commission members’ appointment is presently challenged in Court by previous members of the commission led by Barrister Emma Nwonye.

It said the Nwonye-led Commission has neither been dissolved, sacked nor suspended by the present Administration of Owelle Rochas Okorocha since their tenure have not elapsed.

The party also fingered the ongoing litigation between the 27 elected Local Government Chairmen and the Imo State Government as a cog in the wheel of holding the elections.

Governor Okorocha had sacked the 27 Local Government Chairmen, mainly of the opposition PDP in June 2011, an action reversed by an Owerri Federal High Court.   Okorocha is of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

The ANPP stated that ‘unless these Court cases are disposed off, no Local Government election can take place in Imo State and as such, any money spent by aspirants of any political party for the purpose of the election is illegal and cannot be refunded’

Local tabloids in Imo State had reported that ISIEC levied local Government Chairmanship and Councillorship aspirants, a claim sharply dispelled by the Commission’s Chairman, Teddy Akwari.

Akwari told local journalists in Owerri that no aspirant has been levied, stating that the Commission in collaboration with Imo State University, Owerri resolved to encourage aspirants interested in Local Government and Councillorship positions to undergo a leadership Training Programme to be carried out by the varsity.

According to him, it was IMSU, not ISIEC that levied the aspirants, as the citadel of learning will collaborate with the Imo State College of Advanced Studies (ICAPS) to enrich the knowledge of aspirants on the dynamics and challenges involved in Local Government Administration.

Meanwhile, the PDP in Imo State is also making moves to boycott the election. Some of the officials of the party contacted for comments said soon the party’s position on the local Government election will be made known.

But a party source told innonews that there is no basis for the party to field candidates for the election since its candidates that were elected as chairmen and Councillors in 2011 for two year tenure were illegally sacked by the Okorocha Administration.