The proposed election to usher in elected persons as members of the Community Government Council, CGC, is witnessing a hitch with the Imo State Independent Electoral Commission, ISIEC, halting sale of forms to prospective aspirants for the respective position.
Following announcements by Governor Okorocha that tenure of the appointed CGC Members would end by the end of February 2014 and a new election to hold immediately, ISIEC announced and published schedule for the election to hold March 1, 2014.
No sooner than aspirants besieged ISIEC for payments, trouble erupted from different angles kicking against the proposed election. Apart from the aspirants who had paid various amounts of money for secretary (President General of Autonomous Communities), Youth leaders and women leaders, to the state ministry of local government when it was scheduled to hold in December 2012, the Imo State House of Assembly is kicking against the election even as a court injunction stopped the earlier election.
The past aspirants who had paid to ministry of local government and chieftaincy affairs to obtain the forms and vie for the positions are threatening fire and brimstone if they would be mandated to pay fresh money for the elections, adding that it is sheer rip off and fraudulent on the part of government and its agencies to duplicate payment for CGC elections. In the same vein, lawmakers in the State Assembly have moved to stop the election declaring that conducting any election is illegal since ISIEC is not powered by law to conduct the election.
These reported developments have stagnated ISIEC plans to have the election by March 1. A visit by our reporter to the electoral body’s office on Orlu road, Owerri, on Monday, showed that sale and payments for forms have been temporarily stopped and aspirants told to hold on for days for further clarification on the proposed election.
Our reporter spotted several aspirants who thronged the ISIEC office but were unable to get to either pay or get forms for the election. Most of those spoken to claimed they were asked to go and tarry a while until things are sorted out before resumption of activities for the election.
“We were asked to go for now, no forms sales and payment. We were asked to keep our money till Wednesday for proper clarifications”, a concerned aspirant told Trumpeta at ISIEC office
A staff in charge of issuance of the forms confirmed this development when our reporter who posed as a prospective aspirant for youth leader position for one of the autonomies communities confronted the ISIEC staff for forms. According to ISIEC staff (names withheld) “hold on for now, check on Wednesday for us to verify the true position there is little trouble.”
Trumpeta further gathered that the CGC position is likely going to be for those who recently registered for APC, the party of the Governor of the state. Competent sources revealed that part of the subtle means applied by the state government to lure Imolites into APC during the just concluded party registration is the CGC election where it was alleged that only those with APC cards are eligible and qualified to vie for the CGC elections.
Efforts to reach ISIEC chairman, Amaechi Nwoha proved futile when his phone number was unable to be reached for comments and reactions as at the time of going to press.
