By Enyim Enyim
ONITSHA—Lawmakersin Anambra State House of Assembly yesterday rejected the use of old voters register for the conduct of the December 4 local government election as announced by the state Indepedent Electoral Commission, ANSIEC.

Speaking exclusively to Vanguard in seperate interviews, three legislators, Chinedu Muokwue, Chief Tim Egboka and Prince Ebere Ezechukwu representing Onitsha South, Aguata 1 and Aguata 11 constituencies respectively, said any attempt by the state electoral body to conduct the council poll with the old voters register would be resisted.

They said the old register, which was used in the last February 6 governorship election, would ignite fresh political crisis in the state.

According to the trio, the old voters register is roundly rejected by majority of Anambra electorate on the ground that many eligible voters were disenfranchised in the last poll because their names were not found in it.

They stressed that informed the plan by the National Independent Electoral Commission,INEC to review the voters register come November this year.

Chairman of the commission, Prof. Titus Eze, had, while briefing newsmen in his office in Awka on the preparedness of the electoral body, announced that the old voters register used in the February 6, governorship election would be used for the council poll.

Moukwue said the announcement by the commission to use the old register showed that it was ab initio planning to rig the local government election at the detriment of other political parties’ electoral fortunes.

“ I want to state categorically that the position of the commission to use old register means that it does not intend to conduct a credible, acceptable, free and fair election and we will resist it. I think the commission is joking,” Moukwe said.

He said if the ANSIEC must do a good job, it would have wait for INEC to conclude its review of the new register, which would be ready before the December 4 scheduled for the council election.

Muokwue, who said the old voters register was contentious and was still in court, should not be used if the body had in mind to give the people of the state a free and fair election.

“ANSIEC does not intend to conduct a credible and acceptable election and if they are not ready to give us what we want, they should tell Anambra people that they cannot do the job.
“We have not had local government election since 2000 and if we want to do it now, we expect the best.

“Once INEC starts the new register, the old one becomes invalid, so ANSIEC chairman is not being honest to say that he will use the old register for the council poll,” he said.

The lawmaker said the commission chairman would only succeed in creating room for litigations after the local government election if he conducted the election with the old register.