Rape Of Democracy In Enugu State Council Poll
OpenLife Nigeria reports that Accord has punched holes in the council poll that held in Enugu State on Saturday, September 21, 2024.
In a statement signed by Chief John Nwobodo, Chieftain of Accord/Chairmanship Candidate of Accord for Nkanu East Local Government Area, the party described the council election as rape of democracy.
Titled “Statement on behalf of all the Candidates of Accord in respect of the Local Government Council Election in Enugu State held on Saturday, 21st September, 2024,” the party explained that the election, conducted by Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission, ENSIEC, is “Reminiscent of what obtained during the Stone age before the advent of civilization.”
The full statement is reproduced below
On Saturday, September 21, the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) under the Chairmanship of Prof. Christian Ngwu committed what could be described as the worst rape of democracy.
This absurdity it called Election is reminiscent of what obtained during the Stone age before the advent of civilization.
We wish to announce our total rejection of the declaration and return of winners in the 17 Local Government Areas especially with regard to the Chairmanship seats.
In the first place, ENSIEC failed to acknowledge that Accord was the only political party that conducted its primary election and submitted its list of candidates within the timeline of not later than 180 days as required under section 29 of the Electoral Act, 2022.
The significance of the timely submission of the list of candidates by Accord meant that the election should have been uncontested in favour of the party.
However, out of sheer impunity, ENSIEC proceeded to conduct election accommodating the PDP and other political parties who technically and legally speaking were not candidates in the election.
It is therefore concerning that ENSIEC declared and returned PDP candidates whose candidates emerged between 12th and 14th August, 2024 about 40 days to the election contrary to the provisions of the law.
Sooner or later, the reality will dawn on PDP that the votes ascribed or credited to their candidates were/are wasted votes.
In the context of the actual holding of the election, it can be best described as crazy and shameful.
Election officials and materials arrived late in all the 4,145 Polling Units across the State. In some places, election started as late as 1pm.
In most locations, the ad-hoc staff deployed for the election are card carrying members of the PDP.
In most Polling Stations, the Election officials did not come with Polling Unit result sheets, ENSIEC 8A and 8A(1).
The opening procedures such as display of the ballot boxes, cross checking of Electoral materials with party agents were not observed.
Equally, in most places there were no accreditation at all as ballot papers were issued to voters without verifying their names in the Voter Register.
Another funny aspect was the ballot paper deployed by ENSIEC. It was not only a blunder but a serious faux paux depicting the ignorance of the Commission and its officers, of political and legal history.
It was quite bizarre that ENSIEC wasted tax payers money to print ballot papers containing a list of 92 Political Parties, a mix of extant and extinct political parties in Nigeria.
We may need to enlighten ENSIEC that 72 of those Political Parties on the ballot paper were deregistered by INEC in February, 2020 over 4 years ago.
With the mixture of living and dead political parties on the ballot paper comes a big blight on the election eroding its integrity which it does not possess any way.
Therefore, on that score, the election was conducted for dead political entities.
Again, in Nkanu East and Isiuzo LGAs, the candidates of the PDP allegedly elected had served as both appointed and elected Chairmen of their respective Councils in two previous tenures which disqualified them from being part of the election.
The non-use of BVAS for accreditation of voters in the election automatically makes the election null and void.
The incredible numbers churned out in favour of the candidates of the PDP was only possible because ENSIEC deliberately avoided deploying BVAS.
For example, in Nkanu East, the Returning Officer, Comrade Simeon Ejike Akaeme, Director, Principal Special Grade (PSG), Post Primary Schools Management Board, Ministry of Education, Enugu returned Hon. Sydney Okechukwu Edeh of the PDP winner with 28,417 votes.
The figure is laughable when tallied with the result of the 2023 Governorship Election in Nkanu East where the PDP and Governor Peter Mbah polled 16,956 votes out of 19,246 valid votes cast in the election.
It was indeed childish to come up with such bloated figure in an election that witnessed the poorest voter turn out ever.
There are so many other invalidating factors which would not delve into now as they constitute our punch cards for the ensuing election petition to be filed by the Accord (Party) at the Local Government Election Petition Tribunal.
We have confidence to get justice as we continue to pursue our pre-election matters and petitions at the Tribunal. We shall triumph at the end.
Thank you.
Chief John Nwobodo
Chieftain of Accord/Chairmanship Candidate of Accord for Nkanu East LGA
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