…as Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act 2022 stipulates resignation 30 days Ahead of Primaries
Following the recent release of time table for activities in the build to the upcoming Local Government election fixed for 26th October by the Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission, AKISIEC, and the extension of the tenure of appointed Chairmen and members of Transition Committees in the 31 Local Government Areas of the State by Governor Umo Eno, fear and anxiety may have gripped some sitting Council Transition Chairmen who are seeking to further their term in office.
Meanwhile, the State electoral umpire, AKISIEC, has fixed Monday 22nd July to August 26 of August, 2024 timeline for the conduct of Primaries by political parties( internal party processes that choose a political party’s candidate(s) for the next election by holding an internal election. Exactly how this is done depends on the legal framework, internal party rules, and informal practices.)
Section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act 2022 as amended reads: “No political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at the convention or congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election”.
The implication of the above is that political appointees who intend to be voting delegates or stand as aspirants for elective positions in a primary election shall, first of all, resign their appointments. For a political appointee, the failure to resign an appointment before voting as a delegate or standing as an aspirant in a primary election is a violation of the electoral act and further renders the primary election null and void and illegal.
Section84(13) further provides that “where a political party fails to comply with the provisions of this act in the conduct of its primaries, its candidate for the election shall not be included in the election for the particular position in issue”.
It would be recalled that the State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno had resigned his appointment as a Commissioner in the State Executive Council ahead of the Governorship primary election that brought him into office, as well as every other political office holder, and this has always been the norm in Akwa Ibom State. Impeccable sources reveal that opposition members and Political parties are gearing up for heavy litigations and have started assembling legal teams in anticipation of any Local Government Transition Committee Chairman aspiring of contesting the forthcoming election, that fails to abide by the stipulation of the electoral act.
Already tension is reportedly mounting across the 31 LGA’s as the local government election fever heightens. Clans, wards and zones in the LGA’s have begun to voice their concerns on the need for political stakeholders to ensure equity and fairness in the zoning of Chairmanship positions in some Local Government Areas of the State.
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