Following threat of legal action by faction of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the August 22 local government elections in the state, the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission (EBSIEC) on Thursday dismissed the threat saying that the commission’s approach was anchored on strict observance of the law.

In a chat with journaliststs in Abakaliki, he Commissioner and Chairman of the EBSIEC Information, Voter Education and Publicity Committee, Chief Collins Agbo, noted that the party lacks both the moral and legal grounds to challenge the outcome insisting that all political parties were given ample time and opportunity to participate in the election.

He wondered why a faction of the party is crying foul in the process that PDP participated noting that the commission’s approach was anchored on strict observance of the law and adequate notice to political parties, stakeholder engagement, voter education and adherence to the timetable and schedule of activities released ahead of the polls.

According to him, the election was not the product of any political “magic” but the outcome of a deliberate commitment by the commission to operate within the framework of the law.

“We were inaugurated on August 15, 2025, and when we came into office, we reviewed the books and discovered that some of the reasons previous elections had faced legal challenges were because the relevant laws were not strictly followed.

“We took the Electoral Act, reviewed the state law and also reviewed the Constitution. We found out that there are clear provisions guiding the conduct of elections and the operations of electoral commissions. So, we resolved that this election must be conducted strictly in accordance with the law,” Agbo said.

He said the commission issued its election timetable sufficiently early and gave political parties what he described as a level playing field to conduct their internal processes and prepare for the polls.

Agbo explained that the commission also convened a broad-based stakeholders’ meeting involving political parties, security agencies, persons with disabilities and other critical segments of the electorate.

He said 17 political parties attended the initial stakeholders’ meeting, adding that the commission maintained regular engagement with relevant stakeholders throughout the electoral cycle.

Agbo said the commission was not prepared to join issues with any faction of the PDP, but maintained that the electoral body had followed its statutory timetable and complied with the relevant constitutional and legal provisions governing the conduct of local government elections.

“We invited all the political parties that had offices in the state at that time, and we also brought in other stakeholders. Security agencies, persons with disabilities and other sectors of the electorate were involved in the discussions on the way forward.

“We released our timetable and schedule of activities and ensured that every stage of the process followed the prescribed timeline,” he said.

The EBSIEC official said political parties were given sufficient opportunity to conduct their primaries, while the commission monitored the processes in line with its responsibilities.

He, however, said some parties were unable to meet the requirements for participation because of internal crises and failure to conclude their nomination processes within the stipulated period.

Agbo particularly referred to the internal crisis within the Labour Party and the PDP, saying the commission could not be held responsible for the inability of political parties to resolve their internal disputes or present candidates.

“Several political parties indicated interest and we gave them the opportunity to conduct their internal democracy. The Labour Party, for instance, indicated interest, but along the line, its internal crisis affected its ability to meet up.

“The PDP was also represented at our first stakeholders’ meeting. We gave invitations to political parties through their offices and also through IPAC. So, those now making allegations cannot say they were not aware of the process or that they were not given sufficient opportunity,” he said.

Agbo said the commission repeatedly sensitised political parties and the public through radio appearances, jingles, public enlightenment programmes and grassroots engagements, insisting that the process was transparent from the outset.

On the account that the process was manipulated by the government to favour APC, Agbo said that the governor never tell them what to do saying that apart from a courtesy visit involving the national forum of State Independent Electoral Commissions, we have never sat down with the governor to discuss how to conduct this election.

Agbo argued that while the governor constitutionally plays a role in the appointment of members of a state electoral commission, such responsibility does not translate into interference with the commission’s operations.

“The governor has a constitutional responsibility to appoint members of the commission, subject to the provisions of the law and confirmation by the House of Assembly. That is his constitutional duty.

“But once we are constituted, we have our responsibilities under the law. We are not here to take instructions from anybody on how to conduct an election,” he said.

On voter mobilisation, Agbo said EBSIEC deliberately took voter education to the grassroots, deploying a combination of radio programmes, jingles, one-on-one engagement and community-based sensitisation.

He said traditional rulers, town union presidents and other community leaders were mobilised to cascade electoral information to the ward, polling unit and hamlet levels.

According to him, the objective was to encourage registered voters to utilise their voter cards rather than merely possess them.

He disclosed that certificates of return would be issued on August 27, after which the commission would assess the entire electoral process and identify areas requiring improvement.