{"id":8423,"date":"2013-08-16T00:40:03","date_gmt":"2013-08-16T00:40:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disnaija.com\/nigerian-newspapers\/labour-party-may-shift-anambra-guber-primaries\/"},"modified":"2013-08-16T00:40:03","modified_gmt":"2013-08-16T00:40:03","slug":"labour-party-may-shift-anambra-guber-primaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disnaija.com\/labour-party-may-shift-anambra-guber-primaries\/","title":{"rendered":"Labour Party may shift Anambra guber primaries"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u2022 \u2018INEC, state electoral body not ready for polls\u2019       <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Ubah pledges better power supply<\/strong><\/p>\n

THERE are indications that the leadership of Labour Party (LP) may shift the gubernatorial primaries election to select its standard-bearer for the November 16, 2013, gubernatorial election in Anambra State from August 19 to 28, 2013. <\/p>\n

  Meanwhile, a human rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety), has expressed doubts over the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) ability to conduct hitch-free polls in the state.   <\/p>\n

 In a related development, a governorship aspirant of the LP in Anambra State, Ifeanyi Ubah, has stressed the need to develop the state\u2019s power sector, noting that power supply is critical to the social-economic well being of any society<\/p>\n

  Investigations by The Guardian revealed that the decision to reschedule the primaries election stems from intense pressures being exerted on the party\u2019s leadership both in Abuja and Awka, \u201cto accommodate the interest of other aspirants who want to contest the governorship on LP platform\u201d.<\/p>\n

  A source within the Abuja headquarters of the party confided in The Guardian that \u201ccertain overtures and demands have been made for the party to shift the governorship primaries to a date later than August 19, 2013\u201d, adding that the shift would also disabuse the minds of \u201ccritical stakeholders\u201d that the ticket has been sold to a particular aspirant.<\/p>\n

  He indicated that no less than five aspirants from other political parties may likely join the race for the LP ticket, pointing out that the pressure on the party to extend the date for the primaries is also to receive new members into the party.<\/p>\n

  However, when contacted, the state LP Chairman, Mr. Sam Osi Oraegbunam, denied that the plan to shift the date of the primaries was just to accommodate disgruntled aspirants from the PDP, explaining that \u201cwhen the change of date comes, it will be in the interest of better organisation and logistics provision\u201d.<\/p>\n

  Oraegbunam, who spoke with The Guardian, noted that LP was mindful of the challenges of unrestrained admission of all manner of contenders. He said it was also erroneous to give the impression that attempts were being made to receive aspirants that could displace the foremost contender, Ubah. <\/p>\n

  \u201cSometimes democracy makes an organization look stupid but as a political party we listen to all shades of opinion and at the end of the day, the majority would have its way. So what is happening is that we want to allow everybody a say in how the party is run; it is the owners of the party, the people; that have the final decision,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

He stressed that though the party has no problem with Ubah\u2019s aspiration, it does not want to foreclose the ticket to only him pointing out that the present pressures on the party was \u201ca test of LP\u2019s resilience and internal democratic credentials\u201d.<\/p>\n

  A statement signed by the Chairman, Board of Directors of Intersociety, Mr. Emeka Umeagbalasi, in Awka yesterday, wondered if INEC has complied with electoral law in reviewing voters\u2019 register, among other things.<\/p>\n

  The group further expressed doubts if there are scientific and verifiable records showing \u201ccontinuous registration of qualified persons and revision and updating of the voters\u2019 register by INEC at publicly designated centres by public notice in any part of Anambra State since 2011.\u201d<\/p>\n

  They said they have observed a breach of Sections 9(1) and 10(1) of the Electoral Act of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2010.<\/p>\n

  \u201cBy Section 9(5) of the said Electoral Act, registration of qualified persons or those who have attained the voting age of 18 years and above in the state since 2011 is supposed to end by September 16, 2013; 60 days before the governorship polls. <\/p>\n

\u201cYet thousands of qualified persons have remained unregistered, it insisted, and besides, the fate of those whose voters cards got lost, torn, defaced or damaged, particularly in Ogbaru, Ayamelum, Anambra East, Anambra-West and Oyi councils, affected by the 2012 flood still hangs in the balance barely three months to the elections\u201d, it said.<\/p>\n

  On ANSIEC, the group said it was concerned that the electoral body will have to depend on the National Register of Voters for the council polls slated for October 5, 2013 in the State.<\/p>\n

  According to the statement, by law, no local council polls can be conducted without INEC\u2019s Voters\u2019 Register, wondering if ANSIEC, which is mandated to apply, has reached out to the Commission for the release of the state\u2019s version of the register.<\/p>\n

  Umeagbalasi insisted that INEC was   mandated to issue an updated, revised \u201ccertify true copy\u201d of the register, and wondered if the electoral bodies were well prepared to conduct the polls.<\/p>\n

  Ubah who is the Chairman, Capital Oil and Gas Ltd, in a statement yesterday said development in the power sector would immensely contribute to the progress of small-scale businesses in the state.<\/p>\n

  According to Ubah: \u201cSuccessive regimes in Anambra have turned deaf ears to the anguish of the people.  They sit tight in government quarters, use tax-payers money to ensure uninterrupted diesel supply to their homes and offices, leaving the majority of our poor folks in misery and darkness.<\/p>\n

  \u201cEven keying into the federal power programme has been most difficult for the state government. The state under my watch shall establish an independent power plant on the bank of the River Niger with sufficient electricity generation capacity to meet the needs of the state,\u201d Ubah said.<\/p>\n

  He said his administration, if elected in the would work towards eliminating the current \u201cuntidy and unsafe\u201d mode of overhead cabling of electric wires and cables in the state by working with the requisite authorities for the underground laying of electric cables in the state.<\/p>\n

  \u201cWe shall reach an agreement with the distribution and transmission licenced by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to ensure that power produced by our Independent Power Projects (IPP) will be utilised by Anambra people. There is no justifiable reason why the state cannot support commercial activities in Onitsha,\u201d Ubah stated.<\/p>\n

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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. <\/a>A DisNaija.Com<\/a> network.<\/p>\n

Source: Guardian Newspaper<\/p>\n

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