From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
The Abia State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned the Abia State Independent Electoral Commission (ABSIEC) to obey an order of a State High Court restraining the Commission from conducting the December 18 Local Government election in the State.
In a release, party spokesman Benedict Godson said the warning was necessary so that ABSIEC would not engage in acts that would run contrary to the law.
Godson said the era of lawlessness in the State was over, stressing that APC would not sit and watch the democratic process be truncated.
An Abia State High Court sitting in Aba had given an interim order restraining the Abia State Independent Election Commission (ABSIEC) from conducting the Local Government election in the State slated for December 18, pending the determination of a motion on notice.
Abia APC had sued ABSIEC over issues the party said infringed on the rights of its candidates, praying the court to stop the electoral body from taking further actions that would limit the chances of winning in the election.
In his ruling, Justice Agwu Umah Kalu, upon reading the motion ex parte filed on November 26 brought in pursuant to Order 39 Rules (1) and (3) and Order Rule of the High Court Civil Procedure, the affidavit in support of the motion and after hearing Perfect C. Okorie for the claimant, ordered for an interim injunction restraining ABSIEC from taking any other step in the conducting of the election pending the determination of the motion on notice.
The court equally gave an order restraining the defendant from demanding from the candidates of the applicant any fee for the purpose of the election.
The defendant was also restrained from refusing to issue the claimant with the relevant Forms for the election and from excluding the applicant’s candidates from participating in the election on the grounds of non-payment of fees imposed by the defendant or any other ground not supported by law pending the determination of the motion.
Hearing on the substantive matter was slated for Monday, December 7.