Tension flared on Wednesday at the headquarters of the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission in Abakaliki as the Labour Party accused the commission of deliberately frustrating its participation in the forthcoming local government elections.
The Ebonyi State Chairman of the Labour Party, Chief Henry Ude, made the allegation while addressing journalists after leading party officials to the EBSIEC office to obtain nomination forms for the polls. According to him, the commission has repeatedly refused to issue the required forms to the party despite several visits.
Ude claimed that Labour Party officials were denied access to both the Chairman and Secretary of EBSIEC, even though their official vehicles were allegedly seen within the commission’s premises. He described the development as a calculated attempt to exclude the party from the local government elections.
He said the Labour Party was determined to participate in the polls and would explore all legal options to ensure it was not disenfranchised. Ude added that the situation denied Ebonyi residents the opportunity to make choices at the grassroots level.
The Labour Party chairman also raised concerns about the alleged high cost of nomination forms, warning that exorbitant fees could undermine the credibility of the local government elections. He argued that costs reportedly running into tens of millions of naira would shut out ordinary citizens and weaken democratic participation. According to him, the Labour Party plans to make its own nomination forms affordable or free to encourage wider involvement.
Also speaking, the state secretary of the party, Comrade Innocent Igiri, accused EBSIEC of using bureaucratic delays to edge the Labour Party out of the election. He claimed that Wednesday’s visit marked the tenth time the party had approached the commission to obtain the forms, insisting that all requirements requested by the commission had been met.
Igiri alleged that there was a deliberate plan to exclude the Labour Party due to its growing popularity in Ebonyi State. He claimed that the party posed a serious challenge to the ruling All Progressives Congress and stood a strong chance in several local government areas.
Responding to the allegations, the Chairman of EBSIEC, Mr Patrick Enyi, denied any attempt to sideline the Labour Party from the local government elections. He explained that the delay in issuing nomination forms was caused by discrepancies between the names of Labour Party officials who approached the commission and the official list of party leadership recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
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Enyi said EBSIEC could only issue nomination forms to party officials whose names were certified by INEC, noting that failure to comply with this guideline could expose the commission to legal disputes. He stressed that once the Labour Party resolved the leadership discrepancies with INEC and presented the correct documentation, the commission would issue the forms without delay.
He also dismissed claims of financial barriers at the current stage, clarifying that EBSIEC does not charge political parties fees to collect nomination forms for the conduct of primaries. According to him, parties are expected to obtain the forms, conduct their primaries, and invite the commission to observe the process within the stipulated timeline.
Enyi warned that political parties that fail to conclude their primaries before the February 3 deadline risk being excluded from the ballot. The dispute has raised concerns among political observers over the transparency and inclusiveness of the Ebonyi local government elections, with calls for an urgent resolution to avoid legal battles and voter apathy.
