Process of disenfranchisement may have begun in Enugu State as the electoral umpire introduces a levy for the aspirants to local government. The recent statement by the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission that no fewer than eight political parties have shown an interest to contest the scheduled December 10 local government election in the state may form the basis for a variety of actions that will precede and follow the conduct of the poll in the state.
Some doubts seem to have emanated from the genuineness of up to eight political parties indicating such an interest, given the reluctance and mistrust by opposition parties in ENSIEC conducting a free and fair council election in the state. Already, two political parties, the Congress for Progressive Change and Peoples Party of Nigeria, have dragged the ENSIEC to court on alleged electoral irregularities.
In a motion filed separately by the CPC and PPN, the parties are seeking to restrain ENSIEC from imposing levies on candidates for the December LG election. The ENSIEC, in its guidelines for the forthcoming LG poll, imposed a tax/levy of a non-refundable deposit of N200,000 for chairmanship candidates, and N50,000 for councillors.