- Allege Unlawful Exclusion From Upcoming Exercise
From Ameachi Prosper (The New Diplomat’s Delta State Correspondent)
The forthcoming Local Government Election in Delta State may run into hitches as 74 political parties in the state have dragged the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) to the Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, seeking an order to restrain it from conducting the election.
The election has been scheduled to hold on 6th of March, 2021 after postponement in the past.
The aggrieved parties are alleging that the DSIEC had unlawfully excluded them from the ballots.
In a suit No, FHC/ASB/CS/4/21 dated January 15, 2021, the Change Advocacy Party (CAP) and 73 other parties are praying for an injunction to compel the INEC and DSIEC to cancel all primaries conducted in the state until they are included in the ballots.
Mr. Lucky Dikadi, Chairman of the Change Advocacy Party (CAP), noted that the affected parties have approached the court because of the refusal of the DSIEC to heed the ruling of the Federal Court of Appeal, Abuja, that the parties should be added to the ballots.
He said the Appeal court had on 10th August, 2020, in a suit number, CA/ABJ/CV/507/2020, gave judgment that the affected parties be relisted into the register of political parties in Delta state.
“The plaintiffs are seeking among other things, a declaration that the refusal or neglect of the 1st defendant to relist the plaintiffs in the register of political parties is unlawful.
“A declaration that it is unlawful and unjustifiable for the 1st and 2nd defendants to exclude the plaintiffs from the processes and proceedings of the Delta State LG elections scheduled for 6th March, 2021, despite the judgement of the Appeal court.
“Also, an order of injunction restraining the 1st Defendant from releasing the register of voters to the 2nd Defendant for the purpose of the conduct of LGA elections unless and until the plaintiffs are relisted into the register of political parties in the state.”
