Prof. George Chima, ABSIEC CHAIRMAN (Middle), flanked by other Commissioners during the briefing
Abia LG polls: ABSIEC gives political parties 14 days to do primaries, 14 days for campaigns
From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia
Abia State Independent Electoral Commission (ABSIEC) has given the 19 registered political parties in the state two weeks respectively to conduct their primaries for the purpose of choosing their flag bearers and carry out their campaigns in the forthcoming November 2, 2024 Local Government elections in the state.
The respective 14 days were handed down to the parties to elect their Chairmanship and Councillorship candidates for the Abia Local Council elections by the Chairman of the Commission, Professor George N. Chima, last Saturday, September 21, 2024, during a meeting between the Commission, the Chairman and Secretaries of the parties and other stakeholders at the ABSIEC Ogurube Layout headquarters in Umuahia when the election timetable was unveiled.
The timetable details crucial steps, from the issuance of the Notice of Election last Saturday to the actual voting day on November 2 and potential run-offs.
According to the timetable, the political party primaries should hold between Tuesday, September 25 and Friday, October 4, 2024.
They are expected to submit the list of their candidates from Saturday, October 5 to Monday, October 7, 2024. This would be followed by screening of the political parties candidates by ABSIEC from Tuesday, October 8 – Thursday, October 10, 2024; as well as Hearing of Appeals/Complaints by the Screening Committee between Friday, October 11 and Saturday October, 12, 2024.
Substitution and screening of candidates would be allowed from Monday, 14 to Tuesday 15 October 2024 which would be followed by final publication of Candidate List on Wednesday, October 16, 2024.
From Friday, October 18 to Thursday, 31, 2024, the political parties and their candidates would criss-cross Abia on electioneering campaigns, while the big day would come on November 2, 2024 when the electorate would head to the polls to elect their 17 local government Chairmen and 184 Councillors. Run-off elections, if applicable, would hold on Sunday, November 3, 2024.
During the meeting, Prof. Chima assured the stakeholders of the impartiality of the election, saying that it would not be business as usual.
