APC, PDP may not take part in Imo LG Elections —Group  … As other parties threaten legal action

The All Progressives Congress (APC) the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and other political parties may not take part in the Imo State Council Elections billed for 21st September 2024.

This is because these political parties did not hold their Primary Elections in line with the Imo State Independent Electoral Commission’s (ISIEC) Timetable which elapsed on 3rd of August 2024.

On Saturday, 3rd of August, 2024, some political parties and their candidates clearly told journalists who covered the Primaries across the 27 Local Government Areas of Imo State to remind ISIEC of the need to constitutionally disqualify the APC, the PDP and other parties in the entire Council Elections for failing to meet the ISIEC Timetable in holding their primaries.

These political parties and their candidates disclosed further that the APC, the PDP and others willfully ignored to strictly adhere to ISIEC Timetable by holding their Primary Elections on 3rd of August 2024 as stipulated and agreed.

“The APC, the PDP and other political parties should be ruled out from participating in the entire Council Elections for willfully ignoring to hold their Primaries on 3rd of August 2024 in line with ISIEC Timetable. ISIEC should urgently ban them from participating in the local government polls, if not, we are going to seek redress in the Law Court. The ISIEC Rules regarding Primaries should prevail to uphold fair democracy”, they maintained.

When accosted later for reaction, the Chairman, Inter – Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Imo State, Ichie Levi Ekeh, agreed that there was a shift of Timeline by ISIEC for the Primaries which was between 15th to 20th of May 2024 to consider the request made by the PDP seeking for an extension of the Timeline for the conclusion of Primaries.

He stated that IPAC was fully aware that 3rd of May 2024 was deadline for all Primaries, but was not aware of any other extensions. “I’m not aware if ISIEC has given an extension for Primaries”.

The IPAC Chairman expatiated that, in the emergency meeting attended by virtually all political parties in the state, convened by ISIEC, it was deliberated that Leave be granted to political parties to conclude Primaries on or before 3rd August, 2024 – “that the extension does not in any way preclude those parties that had already scheduled their Primaries from doing so”.

Ekeh also referenced that “those resolutions which were unanimously adopted by attendees, without any dissenting voice, are made under our hands, this 18th day of July, 2024, in the presence of the Commission’s Chairman and members for necessary action by the Commission’s Chairman and ISIEC members accordingly”.

When he was asked of his position regarding the threat for legal action by other political parties who held their Primaries on 3rd of August 2024 in line with ISIEC Timetable, Ekeh said, “candidates and their parties have the right to take legal action against ISIEC if it fails to withdraw any party that ran contrary to early agreement reached with ISIEC. The constitution of the Commission must prevail in line with democratic tenets”.