Kaduna, Oct. 9, 2024 (TheGavel) – The Kaduna State House of Assembly has firmly rejected any claims regarding plans to amend the Local Government Areas Electoral Law in anticipation of the council elections scheduled for October 19. This announcement comes after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alleged, during a recent press conference, that the state government was attempting to amend the law through dubious means.
During a briefing in Kaduna, Mr. Henry Marah, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, emphasized that no discussions related to electoral law amendments were included in the assembly’s order paper for October 9. “We did not discuss anything outside the order paper, and as you can all see, there is nothing related to electoral law amendment in the order paper we have done since the July judgment of the Supreme Court on financial autonomy to local governments,” he stated.
Marah clarified that the only amendment the assembly was considering involved the removal of electronic voting machines due to the limited time available before the elections. He explained that the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) had increased the number of polling units across the state based on voter registration data, but the state was not adequately prepared to procure the machines in time for the upcoming elections.
He reassured the public that all members of the assembly are committed to serving and representing their constituencies and would not take any actions contrary to the interests of the people. “The government has never interfered with the activities of the house, and the lawmakers do not fear or favor anyone,” Marah affirmed.
He urged the public, particularly politicians involved in the forthcoming local government elections, to disregard the allegations made by the PDP and to continue their campaigns, assuring that the elections would be conducted in a free and fair manner.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) also reported that the Kaduna PDP had raised concerns about possible attempts by some state officials to control the appointment of both ward and local government returning/collation officers for the elections. The party’s chairman, Mr. Edward Masha, was quoted expressing fears that certain high-ranking officials could be involved in manipulating the election outcomes. (NAN)
Dear readers, we really need your support to keep on serving you with authoritative, truthful, and juicy stories everyday. For your support, please reach out to the editor @gavelinternational66@gmail.com