Eight political parties are anticipated to run in the upcoming local government election, according to an announcement made by Telumun Tombowua, the chairman of the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission on Thursday.
The All-Progressives Congress, the Peoples Democratic Party, the All-Progressives Grand Alliance, the Labour Party, the Action Alliance Congress, the Social Democratic Party, the New Nigeria Peoples Party, and the Zenith Labour Party are among the political parties he listed as running in the election.
Speaking to journalists in Makurdi, Tombowua added that only God, not any court, could halt the conduct of the election.
The statute that established the commission forbade the use of a Bimodal Voter Accreditation Machine for the election, as stated by the BSIEC chairman, who had pledged a free and fair election.
Tombowua stated that the national working committee of the ruling APC had written to the commission questioning the seven-man committee constituted to monitor the party’s affair in the state.
He said, “Fourteen political parties actually indicated interest, but only eight political parties completed the processes and submitted their lists of candidates.
Therefore, only eight political parties will be taking part in the upcoming election.
“Regarding the purported factions within the APC, the national working committee of the party has instructed us to deal only with the seven-man committee appointed.”
The commission chairman, however, alleviated concerns about the possibility of any aggrieved APC group seeking a court order to prevent the commission from conducting the election, stating that the law establishing the commission, as amended, forbids the court from interfering in the electoral process.
“There is nothing that will stop this election, aside from God, because the latest amendment to the Electoral Law has prohibited court interference in any activity leading to our election.
“So, whether you go to court or have an injunction or not, it will not stop us from conducting this election, according to the latest Benue State LG amended law,” the BSIEC chairman concluded.
