The All Progressives Congress in Delta State has given the Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) in the state a seven day ultimatum to address the gross violation of Section 32(1)-(3) in its 2017 law to avoid legal fireworks.
The party handed down the warning in a petition dated, Monday, May 6, 2024, addressed to the Chairman of the commission, Chief Agbaike.
The controversial Section stipulated that the commission shall issue the notice of election not earlier than 150 days before, and not later than 30 days, before the expiration of the term of the last holder of the office, which has been allegedly violated.
APC Acting Secretary in the state, Ogbueshi Anselm Onianwa, said the error calls into question the very legality and legitimacy of the whole electoral exercise ab-initio.
He maintained that the commission must take cognizance of this mandatory provisions of strict compliance that cannot be trifled with, insisting on a serious case of dereliction of duty.
He said the breaches are inimical to the very core of the commission as an independent body saddled with such enormous responsibility and it leaves little room to doubt that the whole exercise is a charade, designed and skewed in favour of a certain political party.
He said, “the commission has woefully failed to inspire confidence as an unbiased umpire capable of conducting free and fair elections that meet the barest minimum standards.
“Going by the notice of the dates, 6th to 26th May, 2024, fixed for political parties to conduct their primaries to nominate candidates clearly contravene the provisions of Section 97, which mandatorily requires political parties to give the commission a 21-day notice of the conduct of such primaries.”
He lamented that the failure had cut out political parties of time to issue the commission with the requisite notices.
He said consequently, any primary conducted in such a situation, remains a nullity, having ran foul of the commission’s Law 2017.
He urged commission to take urgent steps to address the constitutional breaches that may rob the process of any form of validity, sanctity and integrity.
“Consequently, we are by this vehement protest giving your commission 7-days notice within which to correct these legal aberrations, failure to do so shall result in an action in a court of law for redress”, the petition read.
