The Imo State Independent Electoral Commission (ISIEC) has been accused by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of demanding illicit fees from candidates of political parties participating in the September 21 local government election.
The party alleged that the electoral umpire is requesting N50,000 from Councillorship candidates and N200,000 from Chairmanship candidates for validation purposes.
The party in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Lancelot Obiaku, condemned ISIEC’s actions, stating that they violate the commission’s own guidelines and the Electoral Act.
The party called on ISIEC to adhere to its guidelines and conduct a credible, free, and fair election on Saturday.
The PDP also expressed shock that ISIEC has not published the list of voters in the wards as required by law, with only four days left before the election.
Efforts to speak to ISIEC’ Chairman, Charles Ejiogu, for response was unsuccessful as at the time of writing this report.