New Anambra electoral law an attack on democracy — IPAC

The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has strongly condemned the newly enacted Anambra State Electoral Law, describing it as a blatant attack on national democracy.

The council vowed to challenge the law in court, insisting that it flagrantly violates the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act 2022.

IPAC National Chairman, Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, denounced the law in a statement, criticising the Anambra State House of Assembly for passing the legislation through all its readings on the same day, just ahead of the local government elections scheduled for September 28, 2024.

Dantalle stated, “As the umbrella body of all registered political parties in Nigeria, IPAC will challenge this abhorrent law in court to restore sanity in the democratic process. The Supreme Court had long decided on this affront on the nation’s democracy by desperate politicians.”

He stressed that the law, particularly Section 24(11), unfairly alters the nomination process for candidates by requiring the involvement of specific party officers elected at congresses or conventions monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Dantalle also reiterated IPAC’s advocacy for local government financial autonomy and the abolition of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), arguing that the Anambra law highlights the problems associated with SIECs.

He called for the repeal of the law to prevent further disruption and confusion in Nigeria’s political landscape, stressing the importance of nurturing and protecting democracy from such retrogressive measures.