Enugu communities, electoral body in fresh row over ward limit

A NEW twist has been added to the controversy trailing the number of electoral wards in Igbo-Etiti Local Council as the communities yesterday threatened to initiate committal proceedings against the Chairman of the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC), Boniface Ene.They accused him of abuse and disobedience of a Federal High Court order of June 19, 2003.The order restrained the electoral body from reversing the number and order of wards in the nine communities in the council as created in 1976.The communities, which include Umunko, Udueme, Umunna, Idoha, Diogbe, Ikolo, Ochima, Ohabedim and Onyohor were made parts of the nine electoral wards in 1976.However, in a memo dated September 12, 2011, which was copied to the relevant authorities, ENSIEC approved the reversion of the nine wards to three wards. The commission said its action was based on the order of court of December 10, 2009, which struck out the matter filed by the communities seeking recognition into nine wards.The commission asked the communities to present evidence on why it should not revert to the order before June 2003.But writing through their counsel, Denis Aneke, the communities stated that the commission acted in error in referring to the court order of December 10, 2009, which was a committal process it filed against the immediate past chairman of the commission, Abel Nwobodo following his refusal to comply with the order of 2003.They wrote that the matter was struck out for want of diligent prosecution after Nwobodo complied with the court order of June 2003 and reversed the communities to their original wards of nine.Wondering how Aneke arrived at the present decision, the communities maintained that there was no contrary court order directing ENSIEC to revert the Federal High Court order as it relates to the composition of electoral wards in Igbo-Etiti.They vowed to proceed to commit the new ENSIEC chairman to prison for contempt of court, should he fail to reverse his decision which, according to them, made them not to participate in the last council primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
Click here to read full news..