The All Progressives Congress, APC in Delta State, has approached the State High Court sitting in Udu, praying it for an order to stop the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission, DSIEC from conducting the July 13, 2024 Local Government Election with an alleged wrongful and an illegal Guidelines.
The party, through its lawyer, J.A. Otorudo Esq, on July 4, filed an originating summons with Suit No. OUHC/127/2024 at the Otor-Udu High Court, urging the Court to declare null and void any and every steps so far taken by the State Electoral Commission in accordance with the Guidelines which the body published on the 3rd of May, 2024 for the conduct of the July 13, 2024 Local Government Election.
Addressing newsmen in Asaba today, the party Publicity Secretary, Barr. Val Onojeghuo Esq, stated that the State Electoral body has violated Section 32(1) & (2) of the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission Law, 2017, noting that by the provision of that Section of the Law, the Guidelines ought to be published at least 150 days before the end of the tenures of the immediate past Local Government Council elected officers or at most 30 days after the expiration of their tenure.
Onojeghuo, who was flanked by other stalwarts of the Party, including the State Legal Adviser, Barr. Ben Elu, the Assistant State Secretary of the Party, Ogbueshi Anselm Onianwa, stated that the Party was forced to seek redress in court as a result of the numerous infractions and breaches brazenly committed by the Commission against the clear provisions of the enabling DSIEC law 2017 which is being used to conduct the elections.
He disclosed that the flagrant breaches of the law are very fundamental and can not be ignored by the Commission, whose every action is being teleguided by vested interests.
“Right from the publication of the time table by the Commission, the time for political parties to conduct primaries and even to campaign were all fixed by the Commission in clear violation of the provisions of the DSIEC Law 2017 and we are saying that they cannot continue to abuse their own law”, he said.
The originating summons, Onojeghuo revealed, has already been served on the DSIEC which is the Defendant, stressing that the party has prayed for a declaration of the court to nullify every preparation and arrangement made in accordance with the May 3, Guidelines, towards the Local Government Election and ultimately stop the election from taking place on July 13, 2024.
The originating summons which was supported by a 19-paragraphs affidavit and a written address, also prayed for an order of the Court for a perpetual injunction restraining and binding over the Defendant (DSIEC) from conducting the general elections into Local Government Councils in the State in accordance with the “Guidelines for Local Government Elections” for the purported July 13, Local Government Election.
The case has been fixed for the 12th of July for hearing of the originating summons.
In a related development, APC Councillorship candidates in Udu Local Government Area who were allegedly excluded from the forthcoming elections, have also dragged the Commission before the High Court of Delta State sitting at Otor-Udu asking the court to restrain the Commission from conducting the Local Government elections until the determination of the case.
The suit with No. OUHC/130/2024 filed by J.A. Otorudo Esq is seeking a declaration of the court that the exclusion of the claimants who are councillorship candidates by the Commission was unlawful.
The Councilors who are nine in number are also praying for an order of the court order to compel the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission, DSIEC, to include them in the ballot.