Nobody can stop APC from swearing in elected LGA chairmen – Emegha

The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Ebonyi State, Mr. Stanley Okoro Emegha on Tuesday said nobody can stop the party from swearing in the 13 newly elected council chairmen and 171 ward councillors.

Emegha was reacting to a Federal High Court judgement, delivered by Justice Fatun Riman, that voided the Ebonyi local government election that produced the said new council chairmen.

Recall that the said local government area election was conducted by the Ebonyi State Independent National electoral commission, EBSIEC on 30th July; 2022.

The state government was restrained from appointing a caretaker committee chairmen to run the affairs of the 13 LGAs in the state.

The Federal High Court also ruled that the tenure of office of the current 13 LGA chairmen in the State remains three (3) years, and as such, their tenure expires on August 2023.

But, Emegha insisted that the tenure of office of the current 13 LGA chairmen remains two (2) years as enshrined in the Ebonyi State laws and that the current chairmen took oaths of office for two (2) years, and cannot exceed.

He stated further that APC was not joined in the suit by the plaintiff, and as such, the party will go on with the swearing- in of the newly elected local government council chairmen slated to hold on 1st September 2022.

Emegha noted further that only the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Ebonyi State Independent National Electoral Commission, EBSIEC and the Ebonyi State government were joined in the suit by the plaintiffs, Otu Collins ELERI, Nelson Eze and three others.

He accused the opposition parties of trying to sabotage and frustrate all the efforts put in place by the state government to conduct a free, peaceful and acceptable local government area election, wherein APC won in the 13 LGAs and in the 171 political wards of the state.