NDC kicks against Imo LG polls, alleges plot to stifle opposition

The Legal Directorate of the Imo State National Campaign Council of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has denounced the scheduled local government elections on November 14, 2026, as unconstitutional. The party implored the Federal Government not to allocate funds to anyone who wins the polls. This call was made during a press briefing at the Campaign Council Secretariat on Thursday.

The Legal Services Director, Eze Eluchie, Esq., argued that the upcoming elections would not adhere to Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates a democratic selection process for local government councils. He pointed out that since January 2020, the administration of Governor Hope Uzodinma has been managing local government areas through Directors of Administration and General Services (DAGS) and later Sole Administrators, arrangements he deemed not aligned with constitutional provisions.

Eluchie further revealed that the sole administrators, appointed in January 2022, continued in office until the September 2024 local government elections. Upon the expiration of the two-year term of the 2024-elected officials in September 2026, Governor Uzodinma once again appointed DAGS to oversee the councils. According to Eluchie, the ISIEC's plan appears to be a coronation of pre-selected individuals to chairmanships and councillor positions, not a genuine democratic election.

The NDC urged the Federal Government to withhold funds due to the 27 Imo State local government councils from those who emerge from the elections, suggesting that the funds should be kept in interest-yielding accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria and released only upon the holding of legitimate democratic elections and the implementation of corrective measures to ensure salaries for council workers.

The party also criticized the Imo State Signage and Advertising Agency, ISAA, for setting exorbitant and restrictive rates for political campaign billboards and advertisements, alleging that these practices stifle opposition parties. Eluchie mentioned that the NDC had previously sent a Freedom of Information Act request to ISAA General Manager, seeking evidence of payment by political parties for signage and advertising rates.

He stated that if it is proven that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, did not pay for the multiple billboards and campaign posters placed across the state, the NDC intends to challenge these rates in court. The NDC stated that the fixed rates by ISAA infringe on constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of expression, association, and rights to participate in governance.

The party called for equal opportunities for all political parties to uphold democracy in Imo State.