By Chukwuemeka Opara
Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi said that the state government had earmarked N216 million for the conduct of the forthcoming local government election in the state.
Umahi made the disclosure on Friday in Abakaliki while assenting to the Ebonyi Electoral and Related Matters Bill, recently passed by the state House of Assembly.
According to him, the funds will be sourced from the state and local government accounts on equal basis to achieve a hitch-free exercise.
The governor said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would do its best to win all electoral wards during the elections.
“We will not tolerate the loss of any electoral ward to any political party, not to talk of local government area during the election.
“Our development strides should speak for us as we are supposed to win all areas in Ebonyi and search for other states to annex,” he said.
The governor said that it was no longer business as usual in the party because it would only present credible candidates capable of winning elections.
“Our party primaries will be based on the people to show the world the ideal brand of democracy which people craved for.
“Our party leaders at all levels should immediately convene meetings to ascertain the wishes of the people who should be involved in producing candidates of their choices,” he said.
He described the assent of the law by the governor as `symbolic’, adding that it coincided with the day President Donald Trump of the United States of America was sworn in.
“The House of Assembly has withdrawn its appeal on the annulment of the previous local government elections in the state, so this law has commenced activities for the conduct of the polls.
The law is in line with the nation’s electoral act.
‘’The executive arm of government will soon forward a bill on the review of the state Independent Electoral Commission (EBSIEC) to the House of Assembly.”
Earlier, the Speaker of the Assembly, Mr Francis Nwifuru, said that the law was the first to be passed by the House in 2017.
“The law seeks to regulate the conduct of local government elections and matters thereto, in addition to having a unified and composite electoral law through a review of the state past electoral laws.
“The last local government area election in the state was nullified by the Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki as a result of some obnoxious provisions in the previous law.
“The main area of defect was the usage of the open ballot system and the current law has corrected all the defects while making other modifications,” he said.
He said that the House properly scrutinised the provisions of the law to ensure effective administration of elected officers in local government areas.
“The fifth House of Assembly has with this law, passed a total of 20 laws since its inception in 2015 with 11 laws passed in 2015 and eight in 2016.
“We are currently attending to several substantive motions, including those from the executive arm of government and we will continue to discharge our duties in the people’s interest,” he said.
Mr Augustine Nwankwagu, the Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice in the state commended Gov. Umahi for signing the bill into law, adding that the governor had demonstrated his commitment to the rule of law and effective local government administration.
Meanwhile, the Ebonyi Independent State Electoral Commission (EBSIEC) said it would conduct local government election in on April 22.
The Chairman of the commission, Chief Jossy Eze, made the disclosure while presenting the notice of the election to relevant stakeholders in Abakaliki on Friday.
