Nigeria – Anambra Holds First Local Government Election in 11 Years Amidst Controversy

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria

Anambra State, Eastern Nigeria, is set to hold its first local government elections in 11 years today, being September 28, 2024, marking a significant moment in the state’s political landscape.

Eligible voters across the state will head to the polls to elect local government executives for the first time since 2013, when the last election was conducted under former Governor Peter Obi.

Following years of caretaker committees managing local councils, most notably under former Governor Willie Obiano, and continued by the incumbent Governor Charles Soludo, a recent Supreme Court ruling has outlawed the use of un-elected officials for running local governments.

This has prompted the Soludo administration to organize the long-awaited election.

Governor Soludo revealed that eight political parties would participate in the election, including the Labor Party (LP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), among others.

However, not all parties have fielded candidates across all local government areas. Despite this, Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) Commissioner Tony Nnalue admitted uncertainty about the exact number of political parties involved.

The announcement of the election date sparked controversy, with opposition parties, including the All-Progressives Congress (APC) and Labor Party (LP), accusing the state government of rushing the process.

They argued that the timeline was too short to allow for adequate primaries, sales of forms, and campaigning. Despite these objections, the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) dismissed the concerns, insisting that the election timeline was sufficient.

The APC has been particularly vocal in its dissatisfaction. Chief Basil Ejidike, the party’s state chairman, criticized the election as a “planned sham” and condemned the process as lacking transparency.

The APC’s legal adviser, Chukwunonso Chiwuba, further challenged recent amendments to the state’s electoral laws, arguing they were invalid since the election process had already begun.

Similarly, the Labor Party rejected participation in the election. In a statement by its publicity secretary, Theo Egbe, the LP described the election as “ill-conceived and contrived” under “obnoxious and illegal” electoral laws and vowed to challenge its legitimacy through legal channels.

Despite these challenges, other political parties under the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) have expressed willingness to participate, provided ANSIEC extends the timeline and ensures fair conditions. They have called for an updated voter registration process to include newly eligible voters.

Meanwhile, the APGA remains confident of victory. At a campaign rally, Governor Soludo declared that the party is poised to win all 21 local government chairmanship seats and 326 councillorship positions.

He dismissed the opposition parties as disorganized, revealing that APGA had already secured four chairmanship seats unopposed.