By LEONARD OKACHIE

The Abia State Independent Electoral Commission (ABSIEC) has fixed Nov. 2 to conduct elections in the local government areas (LGAs) of the state.

ABSIEC Chairman, Prof. George Chima, announced the date and timetable on Saturday in Umuahia, during a meeting with political parties and other stakeholders in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the chairmanship and councillorship elections will be conducted in 184 wards in the state.

Chima told the stakeholders that the essence of the meeting was to assure them of the true desire and determination of the commission to ensure that right things were done.

Giving further details, he said that the political party primaries were scheduled to hold between Sept. 25 and Oct. 4, while the submission of list of candidates would hold from Oct. 5 to Oct. 7.

The ABSIEC chairman said that the parties were expected to commence their electioneering campaigns on Oct. 18 and finish on Oct. 31.

He said that the present commission was made up of men and women of integrity and outstanding pedigree, ?who are committed to changing the narratives?.

Chima called on all stakeholders to ensure that the contestants and political parties played according to the rules.

?Our assurance to you is that the elections into our various local government councils in 2024 will no longer be business as usual.

?The commission is determined to make the elections free, fair and credible, and also ensure that the elections will be seen as such,? he said.

Giving the vote of thanks, Mr Chimez Iwuoha, the Chairman of the state Inter-Party Advisory Council, assured that the 19 political parties would work harmoniously for the success of the elections. (NAN)

Update news