By Vincent Ujumadu

Awka—Following alleged reports that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Anambra State is deliberately presenting multiple candidates for the each of the national assembly positions for the February 28 elections, the state House of Assembly has passed into law a bill prohibiting political aspirants whose names did not appear on the final list of candidates cleared by the Independent National Elections Commission, INEC,to stand for election.

But a former Vice Chairman of PDP in the state, Chief Ben Ezeibe, described the new law as a futile exercise, arguing that it would not stop anything.

Titled “Breaches of the Peace and Unlawful Assemblies Law,” the law, which took effect from January 20, 2015 stipulates in Section 3 (1) that: “A person shall not advertise, publish, and solicit for votes for or otherwise engage in any campaign for himself or for a person whose name was not duly published by INEC or Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission,ANSIEC, or any other electoral body within Nigeria as a nominated person for any election within Anambra State.”

Section 3[2] of the bill also states that ‘Any person who acts in contravention of subsection [1] of this Section is hereby declared to have engaged or to be engaging in an unlawful assembly with intent to cause public disorder and breaches of public peace.’

The bill, which was presented by the majority leader of the House, Mr. Harford Oseke, representing Awka South 2 Constituency, went through the first, second and third readings without any dissenting voice.

The sitting later dissolved into committee of the whole house for consideration and debate of the provisions of the bill after it sailed through the second reading.

The House also stipulated N1 million fine against those who contravene the law.

“This bill will solve a lot of problems especially about candidate impersonation. It will create the atmosphere for proper campaigns and elections. It will avert chaos in the 2015 polls in Anambra State.

”The excesses the bill sought to curtail were such which INEC officials had pleaded helplessness because the lacuna in the electoral law was being exploited by some aspirants to declare themselves candidates,” some of the lawmakers said.

According to the Speaker of the House, Mrs. Chinwe Nwaebili, the importance of the law called for its aggressive implementation.

However, reacting, Chief Ezeibe, faulted what he described as the curiosity of the APGA –dominated House over the PDP candidates for the state and national assemblies.

He accused the Governor Willie Obiano of rushing to sponsor the bill merely to frustrate PDP in the state and described its passage as a mere administrative exercise that would not achieve anything.