Kogi LG poll: Aspirants sue SIEC over composition of commission •Why we won’t present candidate in Lokoja LG - ACN
SOME Councillorship aspirants from Omala Local Government Area of Kogi State have taken the State Independent Electoral Commission (KOSIEC) to court, stating that its chairman, Abraham Olaniran, is a card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and has once contested the House of Assembly primaries in Kabba/Bunu Constituency.
The aspirants, Akpa Salisu;Amodu Abdul Omada;Joseph Achimugu and three others, through their counsel, J. U. Usman, asked the court to stop the KOSIEC from conducting election into the chairmanship and councillorship positions of Omala Local Government area of the state, slated for May 4 .
They urged the court to determine whether KOSIEC could validly conduct local council poll in Omala Local Government without review, update and integration of voters register.
The suit, which was instituted at the High Court II sitting in Lokoja, and fixed for mention on Monday 21, also asked the court to determine whether KOSIEC could validly conduct election in the state, as it had refused to display and publish copies of voters’ lists for verification exercise.
The claimant also said KOSIEC was not properly constituted to conduct the May 4 election in the state, as its tenure had since expired and was never renewed.
The claimant, who listed electoral laws 2004 and other authorities to back up their claim, swore to an affidavit and joined Labaran Yahaya Oyigebe and the State Attorney General of Kogi State as defendants.
Meanwhile, facts emerged on Wednesday why Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) would not fix any candidate for Lokoja Local Government in the May 4 local government poll in Kogi State.
The ACN’s decision not to present any candidate for the election in Lokoja Council Area is in the spirit of the ongoing merger between CPC, All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the ACN.
Though, it will contest and present candidates in other 20 council areas, but in the arrangement that a party will support others where it has comparative advantage is responsible for ACN to leave alone Lokoja Council for the CPC. The CPC candidate, however, cemented the agreement by picking his vice from the ACN fold for the election.
The state secretary of the ACN, Abdukadir Yahaya, confirmed this when the Nigerian Tribune met him at the party secretariat disclosing that “ we are not going to present any candidate for Lokoja Council as we are going to support fully the candidate of the CPC in support and consolidation of the merger.”
Also the success or failure of the ongoing reconciliation between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Tunde Ogbeha group will determine where the group will pitch its tent in the forthcoming poll.
The former Senator and his group are the determining factor in politics as far as the council area is concerned but they could not arrive at a candidate in the last chairmanship primary which resulted in a faction, thus the boycott by a faction.
The meeting between the group and the reconciliation team could not arrive at a point when they met on Wednesday, as some maintained that they would vote in protest for the CPC candidate in the election while others believed that whatever happened, they would remain with their party (PDP.)
A reliable source from the meeting informed that the aggrieved were still adamant, maintaining their stand on a protest vote while the reconciliation team was still pressing on knowing the importance of losing the Lokoja Council to the opposition.
That notwithstanding, the State Independent Electoral Commission confirmed its readiness for the election, believing that nothing would change the May 4 date.
The commissioner in charge of Media, Jacob Adejoh Idachaba, said that everything required for poll was ready, assuring that the state electoral body would conduct a free and fair election.
Idachaba said “May 4 is sacrosanct as we are fully prepared for the election, we as of now ready with ballot box, papers and voters register from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) besides all the security agents in the state have assured us of their support.”
SOME Councillorship aspirants from Omala Local Government Area of Kogi State have taken the State Independent Electoral Commission (KOSIEC) to court, stating that its chairman, Abraham Olaniran, is a card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and has once contested the House of Assembly primaries in Kabba/Bunu Constituency.
The aspirants, Akpa Salisu;Amodu Abdul Omada;Joseph Achimugu and three others, through their counsel, J. U. Usman, asked the court to stop the KOSIEC from conducting election into the chairmanship and councillorship positions of Omala Local Government area of the state, slated for May 4 .
They urged the court to determine whether KOSIEC could validly conduct local council poll in Omala Local Government without review, update and integration of voters register.
The suit, which was instituted at the High Court II sitting in Lokoja, and fixed for mention on Monday 21, also asked the court to determine whether KOSIEC could validly conduct election in the state, as it had refused to display and publish copies of voters’ lists for verification exercise.
The claimant also said KOSIEC was not properly constituted to conduct the May 4 election in the state, as its tenure had since expired and was never renewed.
The claimant, who listed electoral laws 2004 and other authorities to back up their claim, swore to an affidavit and joined Labaran Yahaya Oyigebe and the State Attorney General of Kogi State as defendants.
Meanwhile, facts emerged on Wednesday why Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) would not fix any candidate for Lokoja Local Government in the May 4 local government poll in Kogi State.
The ACN’s decision not to present any candidate for the election in Lokoja Council Area is in the spirit of the ongoing merger between CPC, All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the ACN.
Though, it will contest and present candidates in other 20 council areas, but in the arrangement that a party will support others where it has comparative advantage is responsible for ACN to leave alone Lokoja Council for the CPC. The CPC candidate, however, cemented the agreement by picking his vice from the ACN fold for the election.
The state secretary of the ACN, Abdukadir Yahaya, confirmed this when the Nigerian Tribune met him at the party secretariat disclosing that “ we are not going to present any candidate for Lokoja Council as we are going to support fully the candidate of the CPC in support and consolidation of the merger.”
Also the success or failure of the ongoing reconciliation between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Tunde Ogbeha group will determine where the group will pitch its tent in the forthcoming poll.
The former Senator and his group are the determining factor in politics as far as the council area is concerned but they could not arrive at a candidate in the last chairmanship primary which resulted in a faction, thus the boycott by a faction.
The meeting between the group and the reconciliation team could not arrive at a point when they met on Wednesday, as some maintained that they would vote in protest for the CPC candidate in the election while others believed that whatever happened, they would remain with their party (PDP.)
A reliable source from the meeting informed that the aggrieved were still adamant, maintaining their stand on a protest vote while the reconciliation team was still pressing on knowing the importance of losing the Lokoja Council to the opposition.
That notwithstanding, the State Independent Electoral Commission confirmed its readiness for the election, believing that nothing would change the May 4 date.
The commissioner in charge of Media, Jacob Adejoh Idachaba, said that everything required for poll was ready, assuring that the state electoral body would conduct a free and fair election.
Idachaba said “May 4 is sacrosanct as we are fully prepared for the election, we as of now ready with ballot box, papers and voters register from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) besides all the security agents in the state have assured us of their support.”
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