Labour Party & APC Are Afraid Of Losing Local Govt Election – Says APGA

Following the fixing of 28th September, 2024, as date for the Local Government Election in Anambra State, the opposition parties have reacted with the governing All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, carpeting them for being afraid of losing.

LP is not happy with the date as the member representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency and Chairman Labour Party Caucus, at the National Assembly Hon. Chief Afam Ogene, has described the development as a deliberate ambush by the APGA led government against his party.

Ogene alleged that the September 28th date for the election is a move to frustrate other political parties from participating in the election and disenfranchising eligible voters from excising their civic responsibility.

According to Ogene, “Armed with this curious amendment, the Anambra state government has gone ahead to hurriedly fix local government elections for September 28, 2024, thereby causing unease in the state’s political ecosystem”

“With this surprising amendment on hand, the Anambra state government has hastily announced local government elections for September 28, 2024, causing widespread fears regarding a pre-determined outcome.

The newly imposed 30-day notice period for local government elections will lead to widespread disenfranchisement at the grassroots level. Within this truncated timeframe, it will be nearly impossible for stakeholders to conduct meaningful consultations, organize primary elections, secure funding, and prepare for the election without government support.

“This is a disservice to the people and a mockery of our democracy. By frustrating the enthronement of true democracy at the grassroots level which is the foundation of democratic governance, the APGA government in the state is mindlessly undermining the very essence of democratic practice.

“We urge all advocates of democracy to remain vigilant and engaged in the upcoming Anambra local government and state elections, ensuring that the people’s will is not subverted by the Soludo led APGA state government deceitful leadership tactics.

However, reacting to LP’s apprehension, National Publicity Secretary of APGA, Mazi Ejimofor Opara, dismissed the allegation of submissions of the LP, saying that Ogene shot himself on the foot.

According Mazi Opara, “What Ogene has done is to shoot himself on the leg because interestingly the six lawmakers of his party the Labour Party were part of the Assembly session”.

He sees them by this statement as dumb set of lawmakers because if they participated in the amendment of the Anambra State Electoral Law, he has expressed lost of confidence in his party members.

“Is Ogene telling us that the LP members will approbriate and reprobate at the same time?

“So he should channel his protest to the six L P members at the state Assembly and he should carry out a probe of their individual contributions to that law and also provide proof if they were not part of the legislation at the chambers of the Anambra State House of Assembly”

Also reacting to the position of Mr. Uzodimma Nwaogalanya, led All Progressives Congress, APC, Interactive Forum, on the matter, the National Publicity Secretary of APGA South East Chief Ojukwu Ubakasi, described them as those who are afraid of losing at the coming election.

According to Chief Ubakasi, “They are afraid of losing and truth be told, the members of ANSIEC, are not APGA members, and as other parties got the notice of the election date, that was how we got the date.

“They should go and prepare for the election and not to go about playing the blame game all the time. People have been clamouring for the conduct of local government election and now the time has come and instead of going to prepare for the election, they are wasting man hours complaining.”