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The African Democratic Party has urged the Yobe State Independent Electoral Commission to cancel the local government elections held between May-June 2024, citing concerns about its lack of credibility, fairness, and justice.
This call was made in a statement issued and signed by Umar Kali, the State Chairman of the African Democratic Party in Yobe State.
Arewa PUNCH reports that the party had earlier officially rejected the outcome of the 2024 Local Government Election in Yobe State.
In the statement issued on Tuesday, Umar Kali stated, “We are all aware that the Yobe State Independent Electoral Commission (YSIEC) conducted the LG election on June 8 and announced the results on June 9, 2024, declaring the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winners.
“The election was initially slated for May 25, 2024, but was postponed by the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) following consultations with election stakeholders.
“While Section 4 of the 1999 Constitution empowers State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) to organise, conduct, and oversee all local government council elections within the state, Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 mandates political parties to hold primaries and submit the list of candidates to the electoral commission at least 180 days before the set date for a general elections.”
The statement noted further that “the ADP had not been properly informed by YSIEC about the local government election for the submission of candidates for Chairmanship and Councillorship positions, which is a violation of the 2022 electoral act.
“Consequently, the ADP sent a letter to the Electoral Commission requesting an extension of the local government elections scheduled for May-June 2024 to align with the provisions of the 2022 electoral act.
“However, the Commission proceeded with the election despite the party’s request.”
It continued, “In response, the ADP filed a motion in the State High Court in Damaturu, seeking to prevent the Yobe State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) from proceeding with the polls in accordance with the 2022 electoral act.”
The statement further clarified, “While our case with YSIEC is pending in the High Court, we have noticed on social media platforms that our party (ADP) was falsely listed among the nine political parties that participated in the election.”
The party also stressed that the 2024 local government elections conducted by YSIEC was marred by irregularities and significant breaches of electoral laws due to various reasons, including the failure to inform the ADP about the election schedule and guidelines for candidate submission.
It thus reiterated its call for the cancellation of the local government election due to the lack of credibility, fairness, and justice in the process.
In a conversation with a Yobe State resident following the recent Local Government Council Election, Malam Gambo Gulani expressed concerns about the irregularities in the electoral process, stating that Nigerian democracy is at risk. He noted the need for measures to enhance the electoral process to restore public trust and participation in elections.
Meanwhile, efforts to reach the SIEC for comments were unsuccessful as calls and text messages sent to the commission were not responded to at the time of filing this report.
