….reaffirms its non participation in the Sept 28th, Anambra election
The Anambra Labour Party has in totality rejected the publication of some known All Progressive Grand Alliance party faithfuls as the party’s candidate for the forthcoming Anambra Local government elections.
The party equally said they neither sold forms for the local government election nor did it conduct any primary elections to nominate candidates as published by ANSIEC for the election scheduled for September 28, 2024.
State Publicity Secretary of the party, Engr Theo Egbe, disclosed this during a press briefing with journalists on Saturday 14th Sept, 2024, at the party secretariat, Udoka. Awka.
According to Egbe, “For purposes of clarity, the person published as candidates of Labour Party are not our members, they were not sponsored by us, and we had already told you people that we are not part of the election.”
“The position of Labour Party, Anambra State Chapter is that the illegally packaged and lawlessly commenced obnoxious LGA Council election being midwifed by the hastily conceived and ill prepared ANSIEC by Anambra State Government is not worthy of our participation and this LP position remains irrevocably unchanged”.
“This our unchanging position that LP is not participating in the charade has officially been conveyed to ANSIEC, and the entire Anambrarians were unmistakably and unequivocally put on the same notice too. Our suit No A/265/2024; LABOUR PARTY VS ANAMBRA STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY & ANOR has been duly served on the commission and is still pending in Court”.
Our official letter to ANSIEC and copied to the Anambra State Commissioner of police, Anambra State Director of DSS and other relevant bodies, dated 9″ September, 2024, Labour Party remained unequivocal about our total lack of faith, trust and confidence in both ANSIEC and the shabby illegal process they adopted, for being at complete variance with due process and the Electoral Act, 2022″.
“It is really very worrisome, criminally egregious and outlandishly absurd that Labour Party that sued the commission, never sold nomination forms nor conducted any primary elections, and never submitted its register not to mention submission of any list of candidates to ANSIEC, was dubiously published and held out to have ‘sponsored’ candidates for the farcical Local Government Election. A careful perusal of the commission’s list of these fangled Labour Party “candidates” reveals that the names belong to known members of the defeated, soludo faction of APGA, including the name of a current APGA Transition Chairman, (Orumba North LGA) Mr. Nwafor Chinonso Charlesmary Casmir and that of both past and current Transition Councillors of APGA extraction. ”
The statement further noted that “The Labour Party, Anambra State Chapter views this conduct of ANSIEC and Anambra State Government as a criminal assault on due process and a rape of the Electoral Laws of the land, as well as unwarranted provocation of the law abiding members of Labour Party at large”.
In conclusion sirs, the Labour party family of Anambra State pledges to remain law abiding, even in the face of these glaring absurdities, illegalities and crass provocations and diligently commit to the legal pursuit of dismantling the sham branded Anambra L.G.A Council election via the law courts”.
“And in good conscience, Labour party still appeals to ANSIEC and the Anambra State Government to save Anambra State the enormous resources clearly billed for wastage by jettisoning this ignoble proposed LGA Council election of 28″ September, 2024 and rather opt for a properly organized Anambra State Local Government Council election by a well prepared, ready and properly equip ANSIEC, that will be based on the rule of law and due process, in which all political parties and voters alike shall meaningfully and procedurally participate”.
“Anambra state has absolutely nothing to lose by rescheduling this unacceptable and inglorious proposed sham called LGA Council election for a lawful and legal one to be conducted in the nearest future. Rather, the state has so much to gain for it.
Also speaking, the party legal adviser and state secretary of the party, Chibunna John Okoli Akirika, noted that what ANSIEC did is totally obnoxious, mischievous and dubious in procedure and legality. If you look out to the list they provided, you will notice that contrary to ANSIEC law 2024, the commission purportedly published a list of candidates sponsored by Labour Party, the questions are what was the procedure, how did ANSIEC arrive at the conclusion. Labour Party dis not buy form. We didn’t conduct any primary. Let ANSIEC show us how, where Labour party sent these names ANSIEC still went ahead to publish these names. ”
The legal luminary, however, cited a case where Hon Casmir, Orumba north local government chairman’s name was published as candidate for Labour Party.
Meanwhile, Anambra state Party Chairman Hon Emeh Ugochukwu Emmanuel said that according to ANSIEC law, submission of candidates was supposed to be done by the party chairman and signed by chairman and state secretary. “I wonder where they got these candidates because none of these candidate was authenticated by us. So they generated their own names and placed Labour Party on it”.