Abia: Court Order, Strike By Workers May Stop Planned LG Election — ABSIEC

Ahead of the planned local government elections in Abia on Saturday, the Chairman of ABSIEC,  has said that his office was encumbered by restraining orders from courts as well as the ongoing workers’ strike in the state.

Speaking on Thursday, Mkpa who said the commission had not been able to vacate the court orders stopping the exercise, lamented that the court injunctions discouraged many aspirants from purchasing expression of interest forms.

“Incidentally, we have some encumbrances, hitches here and there. Our offices are under locks by the NLC and they went to chase everyone out.

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“There is no chance that the situation would improve.

“Furthermore, we are expecting that two court orders served us from conducting the election would be vacated. ABSIEC as a law-abiding commission would not want to be charged for Contempt of Court”, Mkpa said.

Some critics of the exercise including the Young Progressive Party, YPP, had described the exercise as not backed by law and a waste of resources.

YPP in a statement on Wednesday signed by Bestman Eruba, Publicity Secretary, said the party would not participate in the polls and advised its members and supporters to shun it.

The party had alleged that the exercise was stopped by court injunctions and, therefore, was not worth participating in.

However, some aspirants from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who bought forms have been left in confusion after paying non-refundable fees to purchase the forms.

Among the PDP hopefuls who bought forms was Hon Ikedi Ezekwesiri who wanted to contest for Chairman of Umunnochi LGA.

Ezekwesiri, a two-time House of Assembly member in the state, had in April vowed to contest the polls and had also advised the incoming administration of Alex Otti against dissolving elected local government executives.

It would be recalled that a Bende High Court had in April, ordered Mkpa to stop parading himself as the Chairman of ABSIEC even as the it froze bank accounts of the Commission.

Another court sitting in Arochukwu, presided over by Justice Benson Anya, also restrained ABSIEC from going ahead with the local government elections.

The applicant in the Arochukwu High Court suit, one Nwabueze Onwuneme, had, through his lawyer said that the election, if conducted, would be a waste of public funds.