4 days Ago By Guardian Nigeria
The Abia State chapter of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has barred its members and their candidates that lost in the November 2, 2024, Local Council election from going to the state Local Government Election Petition Tribunal to challenge the outcome. This was announced to journalists in Umuahia during a press briefing by the Chairman, Chimex Uluocha, yesterday, in the presence of the chairmen of the political parties that constitute IPAC who presented candidates for the poll. While the state-ruling Labour Party (LP) did not win any chairmanship position in the 17 councils, the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) won 15 councils while the Young Progressives Party (YPP) won two.
Uluocha, who said that the meeting was their last assembly in 2024 where they reviewed the council polls, announced that IPAC was satisfied with the conduct of the election and accepted the results announced by the state Independent Electoral Commission ( ABSIEC) chaired by Prof. George Chima. The IPAC leader stated that their resolution to bar their members and contestants from challenging the poll at the court or election tribunal was in line with the Peace Accord/ Treaty that political parties pre-signed with ABSIEC and security agencies not only to maintain peace before, and during and after the election, but accept the outcome.
He said: “ABSIEC conducted an acceptable election that was even better than the previous ones in the state. There ought to be winners and losers in every election but we still look forward to better polls in the state.” He, however, said that IPAC appeals to the Winner-Council Chairmen to run inclusive government by accommodating other political parties in running their councils, expressing optimism that doing so would guarantee better governance in the state.
Also, the state IPAC Publicity Secretary, who is also the state Chairman of National Rescue Movement (NRM), Joseph Ulu, called for sustained calm in the state and not heating the polity with post-election litigations..
