Abia Council polls: House of Reps member condemn ABSIEC’s poor preparation

By Ijendu Iheaka

December 21, 2016 

The House of Representatives Member representing Aba South/North, Mr Ossy Prestige has condemned the poor preparation for Abia local council elections stressing that such preparation had put the election’s validity in question.

Prestige speaking to newsmen at the Aba North local government headquarters said it was wrong for Abia State Electoral Commission (ABSIEC) to conduct elections in 2016 without updating the voters register.

 “From what I have gathered now, there are a lot of flaws. The rules they are using now is from a gazette over 8 years old.

“Between 2007 when the last council elections was conducted, there are new wards they have created that they should have gazetted to reflect the changes made but even in the face of these changes, they are still using the old gazette. 

“From what I gathered what they have are few wards based on 2007 local government election. How can somebody use a gazette of 8 years ago to conduct elections in 2016 thereby dis-enfranchising a lot of people? 

“According to what the electoral officers told me, some people who registered in certain wards have had their names moved to other wards that are over two to three kilometers away from their residence. 

“How do you expect those people whose wards have been changed without notice to vote? So there are lot of things that they are doing that are very wrong”, he said.

Prestige noted that elections should be conducted based on the wishes of the people and not on the desires of a few people who take decisions that would not favour the people.

He said that electoral laws and voters registers were usually updated regularly to improve the conduct of election but stressed that the failure of ABSIEC to do the needful would pose a challenge to the credibility of the election.

“Ordinarily, these actions make the election incredible at the end of the day because many people would not know that their wards have been moved because there was no notification.

“If you see what they pasted here, it is still from the same old statute. So for me, I am convinced that the election cannot produce the best. 

He therefore counseled ABSIEC to go back and get things right to enable the people vote freely according to their consciences with acceptable results.