•As court stops elections
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday accused the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA-led government in Imo State of perfecting plans to dupe aspirants in the local government elections scheduled for April.
This is as the Federal High Court sitting in Owerri yesterday granted PDP relief for a stay of execution for the proposed council elections.
Speaking with our correspondent in Owerri, the state PDP Publicity Secretary, Chief Blyden Amajirionwu, said the planned council elections were a ploy to defraud aspirants.
He said: “Governor Rochas Okorocha is aware that no council elections will be possible in the state when the administration has not settled the lingering legal battle involving the local government chairmen and the state government.
“It would also have amounted to contempt of court since the state government is still locked in a legal battle with the elected council chairmen over the issue of tenure.” Amajirionwu disclosed that the state government’s intention was to use the planned election to dupe unsuspecting aspirants.
He said: “We are aware that the Imo State Independent Electoral Commission, ISIEC, has fraudulently collected as much as N350,000 from each community to create new wards, the same tactics the government is planning to implore to dupe aspirants in disguise that it is organising council elections.
“We advise all Imo citizens to disregard the planned election as there will be no such election in the state; the government is just busy collecting money from the aspirants.”
Meanwhile, the Federal High Court sitting in Owerri, has adjourned till March 13, further hearing in a case filed by the PDP against ISIEC, after ordering the state government to stay action on the proposed local government elections.
The case is challenging the right of ISIEC to conduct local government elections in the state while the issue of tenure of sacked council chairmen was still pending in the court.
The plaintiff had urged the court to stop ISIEC and its Chairman, Mr. Teddy Akwari, from conducting the elections, insisting the proposed elections would be contempt of court. Source:nationalmirroronline
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