The Young Progressives Party,YPP, has said it will not participate in the Local Government Area elections scheduled for Friday, May 19, 2023 in the state.
In a statement by the State Publicity Secretary, Bestman Eruba, the party said it is worried about the conduct of an election few days to handover and the insistence of the PDP led administration to conduct an election despite subsisting court order mandating it not to do so.
The party warned her members not to participate in the elections or waste their monies as she will guide its members and followers aright at all times.
The release reads:
ABIA YPP WILL NOT PARTCIPATE IN THE 2023 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS BY ABSIEC.
The Young Progressives Party in Abia State have received the schedule of activities for the Abia State Local Government elections slated for May 19, 2023 by the Government of Abia State through its electoral agency the Abia State Independent Electoral Commission (ABSIEC).
One wonders why the commission will wait till the twilight of its PDP’S administration to conduct local government elections after appointing several sets of transition committees to head the 17 Local Government Areas in State after the end of the tenure of the last LGA administration in December 2022.
The Young Progressives Party in Abia State is also aware of a valid court order standing against the conduct of the elections which has not been vacated or appealed, we also have it on good authority that exercise has not been approved by the State House of Assembly nor was it captured in the 2022 budget which life span and fiscal term is about to wound up, this is even in the face of months of arrears of salaries owed local government workers and the state workforce in several sectors who are either threatening or currently on industrial action.
It is therefore suspicious that notwithstanding these legal and financial encumbrance the commission is still bent on wasting tax payers money on a needless elections. We therefore by this medium wish to inform our teeming party members and the general public that the Ypp Abia State will not be participating in the scheduled elections.
All intending aspirants under the party are hereby informed that there are no plans by the party to sale any chairmanship or Councillorship forms to any body and that no screening exercise has been ordered by the party that purpose. As we match into the transition of the current government, we advise all party members to be law abiding and to have faith in the ability of the leadership of the party to guide its members and followers aright at all times.
This notice serves as an official clarification on the subject matter and a directive to all members of the Young Progressives Party Abia State Chapter not to waste their hard earned resources on a frivolous venture that is ill-fated.
Thank you.
Bestman Eruba, Esq ( Ogele Obingwa).
State Publicity Secretary,
Young Progressives Party,
Abia State Chapter.
May 17, 2023.
