The Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission (EBSIEC) has rejected the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) objections to the August 22 local government elections in the state, insisting that the opposition party was given sufficient opportunity to participate in the electoral process.
The commission also dismissed the reported plan by the PDP to challenge the election in court, arguing that the poll was organised in accordance with the relevant constitutional and statutory provisions governing local government elections in Ebonyi State.
The position was made known by Collins Agbo, Commissioner and Chairman of the Information, Voter Education and Publicity Committee of EBSIEC, while speaking with journalists after the conclusion of the elections across the state.
Agbo said the commission would not be drawn into a public exchange with any faction of the PDP, but maintained that EBSIEC followed the timetable it released and carried out the process according to the legal framework guiding the election.
The dispute follows the PDP’s decision not to participate in the August 22 council poll.
The party had rejected the election before voting began, alleging that the process was legally defective and that it was being conducted against the background of unresolved court matters concerning local government administration in the state.
The PDP also called for the suspension of the election and said it reserved the right to seek legal redress.
EBSIEC has now responded by defending the process and arguing that the opposition party had been involved in the preparations leading to the election.
EBSIEC Says Parties Were Given Notice
According to Agbo, the commission did not organise the election without first notifying political parties and other stakeholders.
He said the commission released its timetable early enough to give political parties time to conduct their primaries, nominate candidates and complete other requirements ahead of the election.
He also said the commission held stakeholder engagements as part of its preparations.
According to him, political parties, security agencies, persons with disabilities and other groups were invited to participate in discussions about the election.
Agbo said 17 political parties attended the initial stakeholders’ meeting, adding that the commission continued its engagement with stakeholders throughout the electoral process.
He said EBSIEC also used several channels to communicate information about the election to residents and political actors.
These included radio programmes, jingles, public enlightenment campaigns and grassroots sensitisation activities.
The commission’s argument is that the opportunities created for political parties and stakeholders to participate in the process contradict claims that opposition parties were deliberately excluded.
EBSIEC had also publicly stated before the election that political parties were free to participate, with the commission saying parties including the All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC) had candidates in various parts of the state.
The August 22 election was held across Ebonyi’s 13 local government areas and 171 wards.
PDP Boycotted the Election
The PDP, however, did not take part in the exercise.
Before the election, the party’s state publicity secretary, Darlington Peter-Onwe, called on EBSIEC to suspend the poll.
The party argued that the election should not proceed until issues surrounding court orders, the state’s local government law and the participation of registered political parties were addressed.
The PDP also alleged that the exercise was designed to favour the ruling APC and questioned whether the election met the required democratic and constitutional standards.
The opposition party described the election as lacking the legal foundation required for a credible local government poll and said it would consider legal action.
EBSIEC has now rejected that position, with Agbo arguing that the commission had complied with the procedures expected of it.
The commission’s response has therefore created a direct disagreement between the electoral body and the PDP over whether the opposition party was denied a genuine opportunity to participate or whether its failure to participate resulted from its own internal political difficulties.
Commission Blames Internal Party Problems
Agbo attributed the failure of some political parties to participate fully in the election to internal crises and their inability to complete the nomination process within the period set by EBSIEC.
He specifically mentioned the PDP and Labour Party while explaining the commission’s position.
According to him, EBSIEC could not be held responsible for disagreements taking place within political parties.
The commissioner said the commission had done what was required by publishing its timetable and providing opportunities for parties to prepare.
He also pointed out that the PDP was represented at the commission’s initial stakeholders’ meeting.
According to Agbo, invitations were sent to the PDP through its state office and the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC).
That, he argued, showed that the party was not shut out of the process.
The disagreement now centres on whether participation at stakeholder meetings and receipt of election notices amounted to adequate opportunity to participate in the actual electoral contest.
The PDP’s position is that the wider legal and constitutional issues surrounding the election had to be resolved before the poll could be regarded as valid.
EBSIEC, on the other hand, insists that it followed the law and the approved timetable and therefore had no reason to stop the election.
EBSIEC Defends Its Independence
The commission also rejected allegations of interference by the Ebonyi State Government.
Agbo insisted that EBSIEC remained independent in carrying out its statutory responsibilities.
He acknowledged that the governor has a constitutional role in appointing members of the state electoral commission, subject to the relevant legal provisions and confirmation by the state House of Assembly.
However, he argued that appointment does not give the governor the power to dictate how the commission conducts elections.
Agbo said that once the commission was properly constituted, its members had responsibilities established by law and were expected to perform those duties independently.
He also rejected suggestions that Governor Francis Nwifuru influenced the conduct of the August 22 election.
One of the points he raised was that the governor was not a candidate in either the chairmanship or councillorship elections.
The commission had earlier maintained that it was prepared to conduct the election fairly and peacefully, while security agencies were deployed across the state to support the process.
The election eventually went ahead on August 22.
EBSIEC Says No Court Order Stopped the Poll
Another major point in the commission’s response concerns court orders.
Agbo said EBSIEC had not received any court order preventing it from conducting the August 22 election.
He maintained that if a valid order had been served on the commission directing it not to proceed, EBSIEC would have complied with the order.
This is important because the PDP had raised concerns about previous court decisions and claimed that outstanding legal issues should be addressed before another local government election was held.
The commission’s position is that it could not stop an election based on allegations about court proceedings when no order restraining the poll had been received by it.
The disagreement could now shift to the courts if the PDP proceeds with its reported legal challenge.
Agbo acknowledged that political parties dissatisfied with the outcome of the election have the right to approach the appropriate court or tribunal.
He said EBSIEC was prepared to defend its conduct of the election if any party decided to challenge the process.
APC Sweeps the Election
The controversy over the participation of the PDP comes after the APC recorded a clean sweep in the election, according to results announced by EBSIEC.
The ruling party won the chairmanship positions in all 13 local government areas and the councillorship seats across all 171 wards contested in the state.
The result gives the APC control of the local government structure in Ebonyi following an election that the PDP had boycotted.
The absence of the PDP from the ballot has therefore become a major part of the political argument surrounding the outcome.
The opposition party has questioned the legitimacy and competitiveness of an election in which it did not participate, while EBSIEC has maintained that its decision not to contest was not caused by exclusion from the electoral process.
Reports from election day also indicated low voter turnout at some polling locations.
Some polling units were reported to have recorded few voters, while others had periods of very low activity.
That development has added another issue to the debate over the election, although low turnout by itself does not determine the legal validity of an election.
Why EBSIEC Conducted the Election
Agbo also defended the decision to conduct the election on August 22, saying the timing was necessary to avoid a vacuum in local government administration.
He explained that the applicable state law provides for a two-year tenure for the outgoing local government administrations.
According to him, failure to conduct a fresh election within the required period could have created a gap in local government administration.
The commission therefore proceeded with the timetable it had already published.
EBSIEC’s argument is that delaying the election without a legally binding reason could have created another constitutional and administrative problem.
The PDP, however, has maintained that the election should not have proceeded until its concerns about the legal framework and previous court decisions were addressed.
That difference in interpretation is likely to remain at the centre of any further legal dispute.
Commission Challenges PDP’s Court Threat
Agbo said the PDP remained free to seek judicial redress if it believed the commission violated the law.
However, he strongly defended EBSIEC’s conduct and questioned the basis for the opposition party’s objections.
He said the commission had given parties adequate notice, held consultations, conducted voter education and followed the approved schedule.
The commissioner also maintained that EBSIEC had reviewed previous electoral experiences before organising the August 22 poll.
He said the commission, which was inaugurated on August 15, 2025, examined past elections and identified failure to comply with relevant laws as one of the factors that had contributed to litigation.
As a result, he said EBSIEC reviewed the Electoral Act, Ebonyi State electoral laws and relevant constitutional provisions before settling on the process used for the latest election.
The aim, according to the commission, was to ensure that the election was conducted within the legal framework rather than repeat mistakes that had contributed to previous disputes.
Legal Battle May Continue
The disagreement between EBSIEC and the PDP is unlikely to end with the announcement of the election results if the opposition party decides to pursue its threat of legal action.
The commission has already stated that it is prepared to defend its actions in court.
The PDP, meanwhile, has said it reserves the right to challenge the election and has raised questions about its legality, participation and compliance with court-related issues.
The eventual position of a competent court, if the matter is litigated, could provide a formal determination of the legal questions being raised by the opposition.
Until then, the claims of both sides remain positions in an ongoing political and legal dispute.
EBSIEC’s latest response nevertheless makes clear that the commission does not accept the PDP’s argument that the election was conducted without adequate opportunity for participation.
The commission maintains that it gave political parties notice, invited them to consultations, provided information about the timetable and allowed parties to complete the processes required to field candidates.
The PDP’s decision to boycott the poll, according to EBSIEC, was therefore a political choice arising from issues within the party rather than an action forced on it by the electoral commission.
The August 22 election has now produced a clear result, with the APC winning all 13 local government areas and 171 wards announced by EBSIEC.
But the political argument surrounding the poll is far from over.
The PDP’s rejection of the exercise and its threat of legal action mean that the courts could ultimately become the next arena for determining the issues the two sides have been unable to resolve publicly.
For EBSIEC, the position remains that it acted within the law and followed the electoral timetable it had published.
For the PDP, the central question is whether the process met the legal and democratic standards required for a local government election.
As the dispute develops, the strength of the respective claims will depend on the relevant electoral records, nomination documents, court processes and applicable laws.
For now, EBSIEC has rejected the PDP’s objections and insists that it has no reason to withdraw from defending the conduct and outcome of the August 22 Ebonyi local government elections.
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