Frenzy over Ebonyi LG Polls
Benjamin Nworie writes that there are a plethora of contentious issues across the major political parties in Ebonyi State ahead of the local government elections slated for April 22
Since the creation of Ebonyi State in 1996 and eventual enthronement of democratic rule in 1999, the state has consistently conducted local government elections to elect chairmen and councillors to the thirteen council areas of the state. This continued unabated till late 2014 when a Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki nullified the 2013 local government election conducted under the administration of the former governor, Mr. Martin Elechi. The reason for the nullification was the use of option A4.
In a suit filed by the petitioner, Sunday Ekpa, the court nullified the election and ordered for a fresh election using open secret ballot.
However, because of the political intrigues during the buildup to the 2015 general elections, Elechi appointed 13 caretaker chairmen and liaison officers pending the conduct of the council election. His plan to conduct the election did not eventually material owing to the political re-alignment that caused infraction between him and his former deputy and now successor, Governor David Umahi.
Elechi felt that it was better to separate the sheep from the wolf by dropping pro-Umahi’s chairmen and replaced them with his loyalists that would execute his interest in the governorship race. Elechi did not abide by the Federal High Court ruling by conducting fresh election.
On assumption of office, Umahi continued with the pattern. He appointed chairmen and councilors, citing huge financial implication of conducting election amidst the economic recession. But when the chips were down with the strong backing of the National Assembly over the conduct of council election, the state House of Assembly quickly passed a bill christened Ebonyi State Electoral and Related Matters Law—001 of 2017 that adopted the open secret ballot system.
After the governor’s assent to the law, the Chairman, Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission, (EBSIEC), Mr. Jossy Eze released the time table and guidelines, which fixed the election for April 22, 2017.
Since the release of time table, the tempo of political activities have increased in the state, heightening tensions in all the political parties that have indicated interest to participate in the election.
But the general believe among members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members is that the All Progressives Congress (APC) members are confused and unfocused. And that as such, its participation in the election may be a mere political exercise. This is because the party is still entangled in leadership crisis, worsened by the failure of the leader of the party in the state, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu to intervene and resolve the matter.
The crisis is between the state chairman of APC, Hon. Ben Nwobashi and his deputy, Pastor Eze Nwachukwu Eze. Nwobashi insisted that Eze remains his deputy while Eze maintained that Nwobashi was removed as the chairman of the party. Nwobashi said he would participate in the council election while Eze said he would not. Other political
parties have also indicated interest to participate in the election.
The ruling PDP is also enmeshed in controversies across the council areas on the choices of candidates. Nocturnal meetings, lobbying and scheming have also dominated the political landscape of the state.
But whether the election goes on as planned or not, it is feared in some quarters that it would bring about another round of litigation from the aggrieved deposed chairmen and councillors, most of whom have parted ways with PDP. They are contending that the court did not invalidate their nomination for the chairmanship but nullified the process that led to their emergence as chairmen of the local government areas.
A source told THISDAY that some political forces are planning to battle against the scheduled election. It was noted that aggrieved chairmen and councillors would sue PDP and EBSIEC if fresh elections were conducted with their uncompleted nomination. The deposed chairmen spent barley one and half years in office before they were sacked. They
are insisting that they have about two years to stay in office and that if another election would be conducted, they still have a valid nomination from PDP to contest the election.
He warned that any attempt to fix new candidates apart from the deposed chairmen, who already enjoy the nomination of their party and later won the election, though on a faulty process, would boomerang.
Pundits have adduced that it may be suicidal for the PDP to reconsider them for nomination. How this will work still baffles onlookers because some of the deposed chairmen are already scheming to return to PDP to enable them contest the election.
However, a notable PDP source maintained that the party has the right to conduct primaries as many times as possible provided it will meet up with the deadline given by the electoral body. He hinted that PDP is legally backed to conduct fresh primaries.
The source said “when election is cancelled, the electoral body will release time table and guidelines for the election. Political parties,
according to the guidelines will hold fresh primaries that will be monitored by the electoral body. It is a decision of the party to choose who flies its ticket. Nobody can dictate for the party or coerce it to accept what it does not want. That is why there is room for substitution of candidates”.
A factor threatening the peaceful PDP has remained the ongoing harmonisation for consensus candidates. On daily basis, acrimonies and dissenting voices keep rising from the people on the outcome of the harmonisation process. It was gathered that the zoning arrangement and harmonisation initiatives have pitted stakeholders against each other and these have given rise to declaration of intention by aspirants.
The stakeholders meetings of the PDP organised to harmonise and present consensus candidates ahead of the local government elections in Ebonyi State slated to hold on April 22, 2017 have thrown the party into political rivalry, bickering and crises among party faithful.
As the party continues to implement the zoning arrangement in the 13 local government areas and the 171 wards in the state the stakeholders are divided over the zoning arrangement as adopted in the meetings.
Umahi, at the State Executive Council Chambers of the Government House,
Abakaliki, while signing into law, the newly amended State Electoral act, directed the state’s party chairman, Onyekachi Nwebonyi; the zonal vice chairman, South-east; Deacon Austin Umahi and the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon Francis Nwifuru, to meet the stakeholders and ensure the implementation of the zoning arrangement to avoid bickering and internal political wrangling.
There have been tension in Ikwo, Ishielu, Afikpo South, Abakaliki, Izzi, Ebonyi, Ohaukwu and Ivo local government areas of the state .THISDAY gathered that the meeting of party leadership with stakeholders of Ishileu LGA ended in a deadlock as stakeholders could not agree on the zoning arrangement.
However, opinions emerged that the incumbent caretaker Chairman, Hon.
Sunday Eze has performed creditably to be elected substantive council chairman. Feelers also has it that stakeholders were in support of his emergence. A source disclosed that the Senate Committee Chairman on Sports and Senator representing Ebonyi Central, Senator Obinna Ogba is behind Eze’s candidature.
But whether PDP or any other party harmonise or not, the EBSIEC boss noted that no political party would hold the commission to ransom in the conduct of the election as slated, stressing that no disagreement in any political party would make the commission shift the election.
He stressed that the commission would maintain absolute neutrality without being influenced by anybody.
“If in the past, the commission has faulted, we are going to address all issues. Elections will be free and fair. We will offer level playing ground to all the political parties. No political party will hold the commission to ransom and nobody will influence us. Every vote counts. At the end of the elections, all the votes will be collated and announced. Justice must be clearly seen to be done. Our duty is to sensitise and not to mobilise for any political party”, he assured.
However, no matter the intrigues and internal wrangling among the stakeholders of PDP, the party remains the choice of the people and may possibly sweep all the positions up for grabs because of the love and confidence, the people reposed on the Umahi-led PDP government.
Umahi has gradually taken PDP to unimaginable height as a party
committed to the development of the state and upliftment of the welfare of the people. But how fast the governor nips the divergent voices trailing the PDP harmonisation process in the bud, will definitely shape the 2019 general elections in the state.
A source told THISDAY that some political forces are planning to battle against the scheduled election. It was noted that aggrieved chairmen and councillors would sue PDP and EBSIEC if fresh elections were conducted with their uncompleted nomination. The deposed chairmen spent barley one and half years in office before they were sacked. They are insisting that they have about two years to stay in office and that if another election would be conducted, they still have a valid nomination from PDP to contest the election