Anambra State’s APC Withdraws from Local Government Elections, Citing Irregularities

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State has announced its withdrawal from the upcoming local government elections, scheduled for September 28, 2024. The party cited concerns over irregularities in the election process, which they believe undermines the credibility of the poll.

According to the APC, the decision to boycott the election was made after stakeholders, including Donatus Emecheta and Ikunwata Obadike, moved and seconded the motion during a stakeholders’ meeting at the state headquarters in Awka on Saturday.

State Chairman of the APC, Chief Basil Ejidike, addressed party members, stating that the APC would not participate in the election because the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) and the state governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, were not prepared to conduct the exercise in a free, fair, and credible manner.

Ejidike argued that political parties were not given enough time to conduct primaries to elect their candidates, and that there were no campaign rallies or selling of forms in accordance with the Electoral Act. He also claimed that Soludo had already set up a tribunal at the Anambra State High Court in Awka for political parties wishing to challenge the election’s outcome, suggesting that the governor was not transparently preparing to establish an accountable local government system.

The APC has already filed a case in the High Court, challenging the entire local government election process. The party’s Legal Adviser, Chukwunoso Chinweuba, argued that the electoral process had been compromised by irregularities, citing Section 23(1) of the ANSIEC Law 2024, which provides for a 30-day notice period for the election, as inconsistent with Section 103(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which requires a 150-day notice period.

The APC’s decision comes as a surprise, as the party had initially indicated its intention to participate in the election. However, the party’s concerns over irregularities have led it to withdraw from the process.

The last local government elections were held in Anambra State in 2014, and since then, all 21 local government areas in the state have been managed by caretaker transition committee chairmen appointed by the governor every three months.