Some chieftains of the Labour Party (LP) in Imo State have stormed the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to protest the continued stay of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Sylvia Agu, in office ahead of the November 11, 2023 governorship election in the state.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the protesters, who have accused the REC, say the only way to ensure a credible governorship election in the state was for the commission to redeploy the REC immediately.
The protest, on Friday, was led by the state chairman of the party, Callistus Ihejiagwa, who accused the REC of misconduct during the last National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections, where they alleged that the INEC guidelines were not duly followed.
“We are no longer comfortable with the current REC in the state following what we observed during the House of Assembly elections and National Assembly elections where INEC guidelines were not followed,” he said.
“What we are demanding is very simple: remove the REC and follow the electoral guidelines stipulated by you. We are tired of politicians occupying leadership positions through the backdoor. Enough is enough.
“Our party will continue to be peaceful and will also continue to demand for the right things to be done for the betterment of the state.”
In his response on behalf of the commission, the head of voter education in the INEC office in the state, Emmanuella Opara, appreciated the LP party chieftains for the peaceful manner in which they conducted themselves and reassured the party of the commission’s readiness to conduct a peaceful and transparent election in the state on November 11.
