The leadership of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC in Ebonyi said on Friday that it would not allow any political party to participate in the state's grassroots elections, already scheduled to hold on July 30.
The decision by the Ebonyi IPAC members to boycott the election of the next 13 local government chairmen and 171 ward councillors in the state was part of the communique raised after their general meeting on Wednesday 13th July 2022 in Abakaliki.
The Ebonyi IPAC Secretary, Hon Samuel Nchita Akahite, who read the communique, said the Council's meeting was held at the instance of the State IPAC Chairman, Hon James Obasi duly represented by his Vice Chairman, Hon Nweze Ernest of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The State IPAC members according to Akahite, used the opportunity to discuss the issues affecting the forthcoming local government election in Ebonyi State as regards the position of the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission, EBSIEC, on the cost of the nomination forms of one million Naira (N1,000,000) for chairmanship and two hundred thousand Naira (N200,000) for the ward councillors respectively.
He said that the general body of the Council after deliberating on various issues regarding the upcoming council polls resolved "that no political party under the watch of IPAC in Ebonyi State should submit any name of the candidate for the local government area or ward to EBSIEC, since IPAC position for the total removal of one million Naira (N1,000,000) and two hundred thousand Naira (N200, 000) nomination fee for the chairmanship and councillorship candidates respectively was not met."
The IPAC members recommended that "there should be a level playground for all the political parties to participate in the forthcoming local government elections since all political parties must not be in power at the same time in terms of funding and other possible logistics."
The Council said that the date stipulated for the local government polls should be 'extended to the 29th October 2022 to enable other political parties to put their houses for the grassroots exercise.
Ebonyi IPAC leadership equally alleged that the government in power in the state had concluded a plan to put other political parties out of the contest but maintained it had no option but to boycott the election.
Recall that the communique endorsed by over fifteen IPAC members was copied to the Executive Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr David Nweze Umahi, the Special Assistant to the Governor of Ebonyi State on Inter-Party and Labour Matters, Comrade Mrs Jennifer Adibe-Nwafor, and the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Chief Donatus Njoku.
The communique was also copied to the offices of the Chairman of the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission, EBSIEC, the Resident Electoral Commissioner Independent National Electoral Commission in Ebonyi State, the Commissioner of Police Ebonyi State Command, the Director of the State Security Ebonyi State and the Commandant Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps Ebonyi State.
