Abia State chapter of the Labour Party (LP) has reportedly pulled out from the planned Abia local government election holding on May 19, by the Abia State Independent Electoral Commission (ABSIEC), led by Mkpa Agu Mkpa, a former Education commissioner in the state.
LP in a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Jerry Njoku, alleged that the leadership of ABSIEC was planning to use local government workers to rig the poll.
The LP claimed that there was an existing court order at the Abia State High Court against the election and accused the ABSIEC chairman of being desperate to please his employer and members of his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government.
Abia LP, describing the local government election as a waste of the state resources, wondered why the state government would want to organise a council election when it owed some workers up to three months’ salary.
LP in the statement said: “We are also aware of the attempt by Abia State Local Government Workers Union to illegally conduct the Local Government Workers Staff Union election before the handing over date of May 29, 2023 even before the expiration of their tenure, which is statutorily fixed for September 2023.
“More so, I have come across political advertisement for the local government elections on the social media platforms by individuals who I will consider as ‘unfortunate’ to allow themselves to be misguided by paid sycophants and stooges of the outgoing PDP government of Abia State.
“For the benefit of doubt; there is an existing court injunction that has restrained ABSIEC from conducting any council election, pending the determination of the motion on notice with suit No. HAR/8/2023 of Abia High Court
“Therefore, Labour Party, Abia, after deliberations by members of her State Working Committee (SWC) on the 9th May 2023 has resolved not to participate in the forthcoming local government elections scheduled to take place on May 19, 2023.
“As a law-abiding party, we owe the people of Abia State a moral obligation to lead by example in discipline, principle, responsibility and accountability.
“Perhaps ABSIEC Chairman, Mr. Mkpa, in his desperate bid to please his employer and members of his PDP government, is not aware, the Attorney General of Abia State is certainly aware that ABSIEC does not have any constitutional power to conduct any local government election or provide funding for such activities, especially where such matters has been raised and submitted to a competent court of jurisdiction as an aberration and a distraction from the legal business of government.
“Therefore, any person who attempts to flout such rules is certainly calling for anarchy because conducting the council elections will amount to a gross illegality of electoral activity in Abia State and where such matters are not backed by law, is an invitation to conflict and disruption of the business of incoming government.
“That said, we are hereby using this medium to call the attention of the public and the good people of Abia State to take special caution and refrain from falling victims of this glaring deception and fraud.
“Do not waste your money on any planned local government election; you will be doing so at your own risk and the consequences shall be upon your head, as the law does not recognise any act of ignorance.
“No amount of blackmail and campaign of calumny against the incoming Labour Party-led government of Dr. Alex Otti will make Abia people accept PDP back.
“Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and his Halleluiah boys’ attempt to lay landmines for the incoming government, in order to frustrate development and ease of government operations, is enough evidence for every sane person of Abia State origin and residents of Abia to see that these individuals are very wicked and never meant well for the development of this state at no time, otherwise why would any reasonable human from Abia State indulge in such wicked and unpatriotic act of doing everything to frustrate the incoming government.
“The business of government is a continuous process. It is not the property of any individual or group as the PDP Halleluiah bunch of choristers suffering from self-delusion is made to believe.
“They have been defeated and will remain defeated. Only good behaviour will bring them closer to the people and not this display of arrogance and foolishness
“It is sheer act of arrogance and fraudulent act for anyone in the outgoing government to engage in the conduct of council elections just a few days to the expiration of the government when you could have honourably used such funds to pay off the local government workers, whom it is alleged are owed over three years’ salary.”