BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

BENIN—AHEAD of the October 22, 2013 council election re-run in Esan North-East Local Government Area and some wards in Uhunmwode, Ovia North-East and Ovia Sout-West Local Government Areas in Edo State, state Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Dan rbih, has called on the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission, EDSIEC, to disqualify the newly registered All Progressives Congress, APC, from contesting the rescheduled re-run elections.

He said that APC should not be allowed to contest the election in Esan North-East council and eight other wards in other councils of the state.

According to Chief Orbih, the call for the ban derives from the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010, as amended, which forbids a new entrant into a re-run election.

Chief Orbih, who addressed supporters at a rally in Uromi to garner support for his party added, said: “The only parties that can participate should be those that were in existence when the election was declared in-conclusive. We will ensure that the law is followed.”

However, reacting to the call, former state chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Mr. Thomas Okosun, insisted that PDP has no right to call for the disqualification of APC.

He said that APC, as a duly registered political party, has every right to contest the election, adding that PDP was dead in Edo State and was looking for any short cut to victory. “They should be prepared to meet us on election day,” he said.