Anambra LGA poll postponement: party candidates stage protest in Awka

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Ignatius Okpara Saturday, September 14th, 2013

Gov Peter Obi of Anambra south-east Nigeria

By Ignatius Okpara, Enugu

Provoked by the sudden shifting of the Anambra state local government elections from October 5th to December 14th 2013, without consultation, some angry Candidates for the polls on Friday staged a protest action against the postponement.
The aggrieved chairmen and councillorships candidates, drawn from various political parties in the 21 LGAs of the state, had stormed the government House Awka, where they threatened to obstruct the gubernatorial Polls scheduled for November 16th 2013.
They had demanded for immediate reversal of the new date as announced by the Anambra state Independent Electoral Commission ANSIEC, chairman, Mr. Sylvester Okonkwo.
The group, displayed placards with various inscriptions such as “ANSIEC we need our LGA election ” this postponement is unacceptable to us” among others.

However, they could not see the governor, Mr. Peter Obi to address them. But one of them who do not want his name in print told newsmen that the governor was aware of their visit but chose to stay away.

The peaceful demonstrators were later addressed by the Special Adviser on Political Matters, to the governor, Sir Godfrey Muotolu who told them that the governor was not equally happy with the said postponement of the local government elections by ANSIEC without recourse to the state government.

The group later marched peacefully from government house to Aroma junction through ANSIEC route, singing songs and making all forms of negative statements on the state government and ANSIEC.

In his speech, leader of the group, Comrade Osita Obi explained that the movement informed the governor of its coming and expressed dismay that the state chief executive shunned them.

He stated that the candidates have been milked dry before the postponement, adding millions of naira were spent by the candidate with each chairmanship candidate paid N200, 000 while councillorship candidate paid N50, 000 as party nomination fee, hinting that tax clearance fee was paid to the tune of N180,000 for each of the candidates.