TheCable

The Imo State Independent Electoral Commission (ISIEC) says local government election in the state will hold in March 2022.

Henry Adimelechi, acting operational commissioner for ISIEC, said this on Friday after a meeting with political parties in the state.

According to him, the commission is currently consulting with relevant stakeholders, including the inter-party advisory committee (IPAC), on ways to make the council election more credible.

“We are 100 percent prepared for the election. All these years we have not consulted with anybody, but for us to start consultations with IPAC and others means we are ready for the election,” he said.

He added that at the right time, the commission will recruit ad hoc staff to boost the strength of its officials.

In his remarks, John Iwuala, IPAC publicity secretary in Imo and chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the state, called for level-playing ground for all political parties.

“It is unconstitutional for the Imo state government to be operating the third tier of government with caretaker or sole administrators. We need democratically elected local government chairmen and councillors in the 305 INEC wards and the 27 LGAs in the state,” he said.

On his part, Valentine Ogbuehi, chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Imo, urged the state government to ensure security for smooth conduct of the election.