From Chidi Nnadi, Enugu
Trouble may be brewing over the scheduled November 4 local government election in Enugu State as the state chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has called on the chairman of the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC), Mr Mike Ajogwu (SAN), to resign.
The call followed the disqualification of two chairmanship and 71councillorship candidates of APC in the forthcoming local government election by ENSIEC last Thursday.
The state Chairman of APC, Dr Ben Nwoye, who made the call yesterday at a press conference held at the party’s secretariat in Enugu alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had targeted the stronghold of APC to disqualify its candidates as against their understanding with Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi that there would be a level playing ground for all the parties.
Nwoye, therefore, said that their team of lawyers is currently studying the situation to advise the party on the next line of action.
In the interim, he said that the ENSIEC chairman should resign for acting in breach of the electoral law by disqualifying their candidates, accusing Ajogwu of being a card-carrying member of the PDP.
Nwoye said that the PDP was intimidated by their campaigns and ability to field quality candidates in the 260 wards and 17 local government areas in the state, thus the party resorting to disqualifications of their candidates in the strongholds and domains of their leaders to enable it have an undue advantage.
He said that this antic worked for the PDP in 2013, saying that it would not work this time around.