The postponement came barely one month before the council polls
The Enugu State government has postponed the local government election fixed for February 24 to October 2024.
The postponement came barely one month before the council polls.
Announcing the postponement, in a statement on Wednesday night, the Chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission, Mike Ajogu, SAN, said it followed what he described as a court order requesting the commission to adjust its original guidelines and timetable published in the official gazette of Enugu State on September 26, 2023.
“The postponement was pursuant to a High Court Enugu State judgment delivered by his lordship Justice C. O. Ajah in the case of Action Alliance vs Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission in suit no E/682/2023.
“The Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission has been ordered to make the following adjustment to its original guideline and timetable published in the official gazette of Enugu State and dated 26 September 2023.
“The Enugu State Local Government Election 2024 originally scheduled for 24 February has been shifted to 5 October 2024,” he said.
An official of the electoral commission who spoke to some journalists faulted the postponement, adding that it was motivated by political interest contrary to what the chairman said.
According to the official, the commission was supposed to give 360 days’ notice as stipulated by law, instead of the 120 days’ notice it gave.
“The court said we must follow the Independent National Electoral Commission guideline; that we cannot use a different guideline other than that of INEC, even though we have been using the local government law,” the official said.
The official said that there may likely be an appeal but “that is not for us, it’s left to the state government to decide”.