By David Odama

LAFIA—BEARLY three days to the councils polls in Nasarawa State, opposition political parties have insisted that they will not participate in the elections.

Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Francis Orogu, said PDP will not participate, alleging that “it is constitutionally and morally wrong for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to appoint its card-carrying members as Chairman and members of the electoral body that is by law supposed to be neutral.

“Where is the moral justification to show that APC is ready and prepared to conduct credible elections in the state? We cannot be involved in an illegality; an election that is already rigged. PDP will not participate in the local government polls.”

Labour Party, APGA

On his part, the Labour Party, LP, Chairman in the state, Jone Iliyashama, maintained that his party will not engage in an illegality, claiming “we have already made our position clear that LP will not participate in an election that lacks credibility.”

The state Chapter of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, has also faulted the process for the May 26 local government elections announced by the State Independent Electoral Commission, NASIEC.

Alhaji Musa Saidu, APGA’s state Chairman told Vanguard in Lafia that the State Working Committee had deliberated and observed that the process for the forthcoming council polls was at variance with the law, arguing that NASIEC, at the time of issuing notice for the proposed polls, had only two board members instead of the seven required by the law establishing the commission.

“We observed that the electoral commission certainly lacked the quorum to take decision to conduct local government elections,” Saidu alleged.

He claimed the acting chairman of the commission, Aliyu Dogara, had informed political parties on March 5, that the Electoral Law for the polls was still undergoing amendment at the State Assembly.

Saidu said the situation was disturbing as the amendment of the electoral law, which should include public hearings, ought to have been completed before the notice for the polls by the commission.