UMUAHIA—GOVERNOR Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has charged the State Independent Electoral Commission (ABSIEC) “to be fair, firm and decisive” in the conduct of the December 17 Local Government Elections.
Governor Ikpeazu gave the directive Monday while flagging off the State Peoples Democratic Party chairmanship and councillorship campaigns for the elections, at the event center, Umuahia.
According to him, in as much as the government was desirous to hold Local Government elections, it was also concerned that the proper thing be done by the electoral body.
Governor Ikpeazu spoke on a day the Inter Party Advisory Council,IPAC, called for the postponement of the polls by two weeks to enable other parties put their houses in order.
Ikpeazu
According to the State Chairman of IPAC, Chief Emeka Okafor the shift would allow “political parties time to resolve their internal democratic hurdles and give them enough time to substitute unqualified candidates.
“Following numerous complaints from candidates of many political parties participating in the Local Government elections, ranging from high administrative fees and enough time to campaign to the grassroots, it has become necessary to shift the elections.
“We are not against the idea to conduct council elections but the candidates need time to sell themselves to the voters and many of them have not been given enough time to campaign”, IPAC said.
However, speaking at the flag-off ceremony, Governor Ikpeazu urged the PDP candidates who were also handed over the party’s flags “to win fairly and squarely” by developing a plan and key into the five pillars of his administration.
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The governor also advised the contestants to run issue-based campaigns and to approach the campaign with open mindedness and love.
He was optimistic that PDP candidates would win the elections and charged them to be able to improve the lives of people at the grassroots as well as to be the eyes of the government at the grassroots.
Earlier in his remarks, the state chairman of the party, Chief Johnson Onuigbo advised the candidates to see the election as a serious matter, saying that they have no reason not to win the election as according to him, the governor has delivered on his campaign promises across the state and therefore they have enough to point to as what the PDP government has so far done in the state.
Source: BNN
