Opposition Parties Threaten To Boycott Anambra LG Poll, Knock ANSIEC Law

BY ONYEKACHUKWU IBEZIM – Less than two months to the scheduled September 28, 2024 local government election in Anambra State, some opposition political parties have threatened to boycott the exercise.

The aggrieved parties are citing alleged illegal amendment of the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) law for their planned action.

This is as insider sources lamented that the ominous signs emerged when the major parties boycotted stakeholders meeting convened by ANSIEC in Awka, the State capital on Thursday.

Among the political parties that boycotted the ANSIEC-organised stakeholders’ meeting were the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

However, those in attendance at the meeting were the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Action Alliance (AA) and what competent sources described as an ‘unidentified’ group led by factional APGA state Chairman, Ifeatu Obi-Okoye

It was also reliably gathered that the Chief Edozie Njoku-led faction of the APGA leadership recently recognised by court and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was also conspicuously absent at the meeting.

State Chairman of APC, Chief Basil Ejidike, who addressed journalists on the reason for the boycott, said; “You will hear from us after the meeting tomorrow. We are going to have a meeting of Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), made up of all the political parties and we are working together.

“What they are planning to do is unacceptable to us the political parties. They have already failed from the beginning because there must be a level playing ground for everybody.

“You cannot continue changing the goal post while the game is on. So you will hear from us after the meeting and it has to be a collective thing.”

According to the insider sources, the major political parties, including the ruling APGA may kick against what they described as an illegal amendment of the existing ANSIEC law.

The opposition is alleging that the latest development is part of the State Government’s sinister plan to rig the election by stopping the legitimate political party leadership from submitting the list of its candidates to ANSIEC.