The candidate of the Action Democratic Party, ADP, Mr Ifeanyichukwu Okonkwo says he will drag to court the flag bearers of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and that of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Chief Willie Obiano and Mr Oseloka Obaze respectively for allegedly exceeding the amount stipulated for governorship contest by the electoral act.
Okonkwo, who spoke in a maiden press briefing to unveil his manifesto for the governorship election said he has been monitoring the candidates that had flagged off their campaigns and have been noting down the enormous expenditure they incurred and would not fail to drag them to court to explain where the monies came from.
The candidate lamented that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, was weak, and as such has not been performing its functions effectively, which he said also included tracking the expenditure of individual candidates in the election.
Recall that Section 91 of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended provides the maximum amount to be spent by candidates at various levels in an election.
The act had stipulated that a presidential candidate can spend a maximum amount of N1billion, while a governorship candidate can spend a maximum amount of N200million.
Okonkwo told journalists that, “I will go to court to challenge these expenditures. We need to know where they are getting all these monies they are spending. For those who have flagged off their campaigns, I am tracking their expenditures.”
“I know how much it costs to invite Channels Television to provide live coverage for events, and these parties have consistently been on live television broadcast for all their events. We see all the vehicles they have bought and branded and we know how much each of the vehicles cost.
“We will even need to know who is leasing these vehicles to them if they were procured on lease. These are the questions we will be finding answers to in court,” he stated.
He said that the problem with Anambra had always been the quest for individual success by its indigenes, without minding group failures, as well as the corruption by political parties and government officials with vested interest, which has led to the exclusion of the best minds in government businesses.
Other problems he said were human rights violation by security forces, the rich and powerful in the society and the timidity of the leaders in engaging the federal government.
Okonkwo said he was vying for the governorship seat because Anambra needs urgently a personality that is highly knowledgeable, humble and fearless, and that he believes he is the best man for the job.
Meanwhile, the Director Voter Education and Publicity in INEC, Barr Oyewole Uzzi has swiftly reacted to Okonkwo’s threat to go to court over the huge amount spent on the election by the duo of Obaze and Obiano.
He admitted that the commission was aware that the electoral act stipulated N200million as the maximum sum to be spent by individual candidates, but said the commission will not disqualify those who exceed it, especially as the total sum spent by the candidates was usually tabulated and announced by the commission after the election.
“We won’t disqualify anyone based on election over-spending as contained in the electoral act. The grounds for disqualification of a candidate in an election is contained in the constitution and over spending is not one of the condition for disqualification.
“INEC has a unit that would look into such budget, but not for the purposes of disqualifying anyone,” Uzzi told journalists.
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