By Abimbola Ogunnaike
Twelve opposition political parties have indicated interest in participating in the forthcoming local government elections in Ebonyi State.
The opposition parties, which expressed their readiness for the July 20, 2024, council polls, will be competing for supporters against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Special Assistant to Governor Francis Nwifuru on Inter-Party Affairs, Comrade Sunday Nwambam, made this disclosure while interacting with newsmen in his office at the Cabinet Office in Abakaliki, the state on Saturday, 25 May, 2024.
According to Nwambam, the interest shown by the opposition parties in the grassroots elections exemplifies the spirit of inclusiveness in the Nwifuru-led administration.
He confirmed that some of the opposition parties, including the Action Alliance (AA), Labour Party (LP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Young Progressives Party (YPP), among others, have begun the electoral processes to ensure their candidates successfully participate in the election.
According to him, this demonstrates that the Nwifuru-led administration has provided a level playing field for every political party to carry out its legitimate activities in the state.
“Apart from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), 12 political parties have indicated interest in participating in the forthcoming local government elections in Ebonyi State on July 20, 2024.
“Some of the party chairmen, even those serving at the national level, have indicated interest and begun the sale of expression of interest and nomination forms for the local government chairmanship and ward councillorship positions for interested party members.
“You know politics is like music; if you play it well, people will dance to it, and vice versa. But as the government in power, we can never discourage opposition parties from participating in the election. Instead, we encourage them to play strictly according to the election guidelines.
“The fact now is that the opposition political parties are bold enough to participate in the forthcoming grassroots elections,” the governor’s aide said.
He recalled that he assumed office on March 12, 2024, a day after his swearing-in ceremony, and has since intensified efforts to unite the members of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in the state.
This step, he said, has led to the successful conduct of the state IPAC election recently, and he maintained that his office would continue to exert stringent efforts to ensure the welfare of the 17 registered parties who are members of the council.
“My first assignment was to conduct the IPAC election. The exercise took place on March 28, 2024. The election was conducted successfully because it is my responsibility to ensure the peaceful coexistence of the members of the 17 registered political parties in the state.
“Previously, the IPAC had factions, but I made stringent efforts to reconcile the members of the council after visiting them individually. I ensured that peace reigns in Ebonyi IPAC, and that’s why the council had a peaceful election.
“I also reconciled the aggrieved Ebonyi IPAC members with the national leadership of the council, resulting in unity and peaceful coexistence among all the party actors in the state and at the center,” he added.
