The All Progressives Congress APC in Taraba state has threatened a court action, if the State Independent Electoral Commission fails to withdraw certain conditions as guidelines for candidates to participate in the November 8th, local government election.
Barr. Ibrahim Tukur El-Sudi, the party state chairman disclosed the decision yesdteray in Jalingo.
El-Sudi decried that TSIEC has imposed certain conditions, contrary to the supreme Court directives as stipulated in the Constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria.
The Taraba State Independent Electoral Commission (TSIEC), in its guidelines for candidates contesting election in the upcoming local government polls, indicated that those contesting for chairmanship shall pay a non refundable fee of one million Naira.
According to the guidelines, candidates contesting for vice chairmanship would pay 500,000, female vice chairmanship 250,000, male councilorship candidates 150,000, and the female councilorship candidates shall pay 75,000, while the disable is free.
Reacting to the development, the APC described the idea as a deliberate strategy to disenfranchised other political parties from participating in the election.
The APC chairman while calling on Governor Agbu Kefas to prevail on the electoral body to delete the provision, explained that the supreme Court, and as stipulated in the Constitution says, the Independent Electoral Commission shall not impose certain conditions as guidelines for candidates to participate in an election.
“We wish to call on governor Agbu Kefas to prevail on the TSIEC to delete the Provision in the guidelines to avoid disenfranchisement.
“The position of the supreme Court on candidate participating in an election is clear. The fee impose as condition is not in consonants with the supreme Court stipulations.
“We have viewed these ideas as a strategy to disenfranchised other political parties to participate in the election. PDP is afraid to go into the election considering what happened in the Karim-Lamido (l) By-election.
“We have gathered that the idea is an arrangement between PDP and TSIEC. We learnt that the PDP candidates would not be paying the fee. It would be deducted from their salaries when they won the election.
“Even if such condition should be allowed, it should be applicable to all candidate participating in the election without discrimination.
“We will go to court, if TSIEC fail to withdraw the condition. This is not a law. It is a guideline, and should be withdrawn”. The party insisted.
The APC also appealed to Board of Internal Revenue Services to reduce the tax clearance fees on candidates for the interest humanity.
“The tax clearance fees impose on political parties’ candidates participating in the November 8th election is too high considering the economic hardship. We are not saying it should be free, but we are appealing for the reduction of the fee.
“The one million Naira tax clearance fees for chairmanship and five hundred thousand naira for councilorship is too high considering the present economic hardship”. They appealed.