LG polls: Anambra electoral commission can’t conduct legal election – Enwezor, former legislator

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Ezenwa Chugbo Enwezor

By Alphonsus Nweze, Onitsha

A former chairman of Judicial Committee in the Anambra State House of Assembly, Ezenwa Chugbo Enwezor, has said that there is no way the present members of Anàmbra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) can legally and validly conduct Local Government election in the State.

Speaking in an interview in Onitsha, the State commercial hub Enwezor, a legal practionner said Soludo hurriedly enmpanelled the ANSIEC to escape the judgment of the Supreme Court to withhold the Federation Allocation of Local Governments of any State which failed to have elected Local Government.

Governor Soludo recently appointed the chairman and members of ANSIEC which he submitted to the State House of Assembly for clearance.

The House has since done that and the Commission has fixed September 28, 2024,as the date for the election, just about one month notice to political parties and their interested aspirants,hence some of the parties have protested and threatened to go to court and even withdraw from participating in the election.

But Enwezor said the hurry in setting up ANSIEC and fixing of the date for the election was done in a bid to escape the wrath of the Supreme Court which ordered the withholding of the Local Government allocation of States which have not conducted their election.

He said many of the states , particularly Anambra State which have not conducted Local Government election have been rushing to conduct “shambolic election to continue their hegemony” .

He said: “They still want to control Local Government by not preparing to conduct proper Local Government election in which every party would participate in a fair contest”.
Enwezor continued: “The Governor wants to enttench impunity.They want to perpetrate lawlessness.They want a situation where everything will go their whims and caprices contrary to the Constitution and Electoral Law of Nigeria”.

The legal practionner said with the faulty process State Government and its ANSIEC has been following for the election, the result of the election cannot stand the test of Court.

He faulted the ANSIEC in two areas: the notice of election which fell short of what the Electoral Law provided and the person who would endorse the forms of the candidates.

Enwezor said the 2023 Electoral Act stipulated for at least 90 days notice and that the National Chairman of the party would sign not the present joke they are playing by amending their own law to allow the State House of Assembly to endorse the candidates’forms, which he said negates the Electoral Law and the Constitution of the country.

The legal practionner said with what ANSIEC is doing the outcome of the election would be voided because valid procedure was not followed.

He cited examples in the past where State Electoral Commission had tried to bye-pass the legitimate procedure but the results of the elections were quashed, saying he would not be surprised if this Anambra own go the same way because of the inability of ANSIEC to follow due process and play by the rules.