The Abia State Independent Election Commission (ABSIEC) has encountered another fresh challenge as All Progressive Congress [APC] has obtained a new restraining order against the agency.

AFNEWS had earlier published a restraining order obtained by one Honorable Ebere Nwachukwu against the agency and Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] in Abia State. In this earlier restraining order, the agency was restrained from conducting the 18th December Local Government election and also the PDP were restrained from submitting nominated names for the election.

In this latest restraining order obtained by the APC Abia State, ABSIEC was restrained from collecting any amount from nominated chairmanship and Councillorship candidates from participating parties until the matter is treated in court.

READ FULL PRESS RELEASE FROM APC:

PRESS RELEASE

ABSIEC must play according to the law, days of lawlessness are over

The political atmosphere in Abia State today have changed for the better. The era when some people wake up and do whatever they want and get away with such are over.

We want all Abians to know that the interim order given by an Abia State High Court sitting in Aba on Tuesday restraining the Abia State Independent Election Commission (ABSIEC) from conducting the Local Government as scheduled on 18th December is a welcome development.

The Judiciary is always the last hope for all of us and that was why our party, being a law abiding party decided to approach the court when it was obvious that ABSIEC was determined to extort candidates and ruin their chances of winning any election.

In an election already budgeted for, ABSIEC decided to turn itself into a revenue generation agency for whoever by making obnoxious monetary demands from candidates. We complained, but they thought it’s business as usual.

How can an electoral body already funded be demanding N480,000 from all Chairmanship candidates and N145,000 from all Councillorship candidates? They think everybody is stupid and daft in Abia. What’s the money for when they’re already funded in the state’s budget?

Aside the dubious monetary demands, ABSIEC decided to act as a screening body for candidates. They took up the screening right of the political parties who ought to screen and send a candidate list to them as if it’s now their right to do so.

It was obvious that the main aim of ABSIEC and whoever they are working for is to use their Kangaroo screening to disqualify some candidates they probably felt will be a problem to whoever they are secretly working for and create confusion prior to the election and unsettle the candidate and his party.

What do APC do as a responsible political party? Do we sit down and watch them hoping that all will be well? Do we wait until they extort people and disqualify people then we start making noise that this is unacceptable? No! We decided to approach the court because that’s the right thing to do.

So, on Tuesday, in Suit No: A/297/2020 and after hearing our Council, Barr. Perfect Okorie, His Lordship Honourable Justice Agwu Umah Kalu gave 5 orders:

(1) It restrained ABSIEC from demanding or continuing to demand the above mentioned amount from our Chairmanship and Councillorship Candidates for forms pending the determination of the motion on notice.

(2) The court also restrained ABSIEC from excluding our candidates from participating in the forthcoming LG on the ground of none payment of the fees it imposed or any other ground not supported by law whatsoever pending the determination of the motion on notice.

(3) The court also restrained ABSIEC from refusing and or continuing to refuse us the relevant forms for the election in compliance with Paragraph 7 (a) and (b) of the Guidelines for the conduct of Local Government Elections.

(4) The court also gave interim injunction that restrained ABSIEC from taking any other step in the conduct of the December, 2020 Local Government Elections pending the determination of the motion on notice.

(5) The court also ordered that Monday, 7th December, 2020 be the return date to court. So on that date, hearing on the substantive matter will take place.

Let nobody get it twisted, the All Progressives Congress, Abia State Chapter is not afraid of participating in Local Government Elections, but we cannot watch our members enter into a contest that’s already faulty from the beginning.

Things must be done in lawful manner. If we follow the law and not bend it, Abia will be a better place. What we should rather be asking ourselves now is why are some persons trying to bend the law if they know they’re capable of winning in a level playing ground?

The legal step we’ve taken is perfect and we commend the party’s legal arm for doing its job and we also want Abians to know that we’ll never shift ground on insisting that the right things, which is the lawful things.

SIGNED
Comrade Benedict C. Godson
Abia APC Publicity Secretary/
Coordinator APC Publicity Secretaries
Forum of Niger Delta States.

02/12/2020