The Anambra State House of Assembly has called on the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to speedily conduct the
Anambra Central Senatorial rerun election.
The motion for the conduct of the election was moved
yesterday by Hon Chigbo Enwezor, members representing Onitsha North 1 State
constituency, saying that the people of the area were facing neglect and undue
sabotage with the vacancy existing in the seat since December 2015.
Senator Uche Ekwunife had been sacked by the court of appeal
from the senate in a petition brought before it by Chief Victor Umeh who was
the APGA candidate of the election.
Hon Enwezor who moved the motion on the floor of the house during
plenary said the situation was no longer funny as it will be two years soon,
yet Anambra central was still being denied a senator.
Hon Obinna Emenaka who represents Anambra East Constituency
seconded the motion, stating that there was need to conduct the election as
matters concerning the state could not be effectively pushed by just two
senators in a senate where every state is represented by three.
The members of the assembly in unison supported the call for
INEC to conduct the election, while the speaker, Rt Hon Rita Maduagwu
maintained that the conduct of the election should not be a thing of political
party as the non-representation of the zone in the senate was affecting all
people of the zone.
Dr Chris Ngige had recently attributed the non-conduct of
the election to litigations which were still pending, but Chief Victor Umeh,
candidate of the APGA in the election refuted the claim, saying the Supreme
Court judgment of 10th January 2017 had settled everything.
The Supreme Court had affirmed the judgment of the Appeal
Court, which barred the fielding of new candidates for the rerun election.
Umeh said all INEC ought to do was to go ahead with the
election and shut out all persons who were not part of the previous election.
He accused both the PDP and APC of conspiracy to stop the
conduct of the election, after having been barred from presenting fresh
candidates for the election.
By Joe Chukindi
