By CHARLES IWUOHA

Twelve opposition political parties have indicated interest to participate in the forthcoming local government elections in Ebonyi State.

The opposition parties which expressed their readiness for the July 20, 2024 council polls will be wrestling for supporters with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Interacting with newsmen in his office at the Cabinet Office in Abakaliki, the Special Assistant to Governor Francis Nwifuru on Inter Party Affairs, Comrade Sunday Nwambam who disclosed this on Saturday while interacting with newsmen in Abakaliki.

Nwambam stated that the indication of interest by the opposition parties for the grassroots elections has exemplified the spirit of inclusiveness in the Nwifuru-led administration.

He confirmed some of the opposition parties including the Action Alliance (AA), Labour Party (LP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), and Young Progressives Party (YPP), among others have begun the electoral processes to ensure their candidates successfully participate in the election.

According to him, this has shown that Nwifuru-led administration has given every political party a level playing ground to carry out its legitimate activities in the state.

“"Apart from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), 12 political parties have indicated interest to participate in the forthcoming local government elections in Ebonyi State come 20th July, 2024.

“Some of the party chairmen even those serving at the national level have indicated interest and begun sales of expression of interest and nomination forms for the local government chairmanship and ward Councillorship positions for the interested party members.

“You know politics is like music, if you play it well, people will dance it vice versa. But as a government in power, we can never discourage opposition parties not to participate in the election, but to encourage them to play according to the guidelines of the election strictly.

“The fact now is that the opposition political parties are bold to participate in the forthcoming grassroots elections,” the governor’s aide said.

He recalled that he assumed office on 12th March 2024, a day after his swearing in ceremony, and thus, intensified effort to unite the members of the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in the state.

This step, he said has led to the successful conduct of the state IPAC election in the recent time, and however maintained that his office would continue exerting stringent effort to ensure the welfare of the 17 registered parties who are the members of the council.

“My first assignment was to conduct the IPAC election, the exercise took place on 28th March, 2024. The election was conducted successfully because, it's my responsibility to ensure peaceful coexistence of the members of the 17 registered political parties in the state.

“Before, the IPAC had factions but I intensified a stringent effort to reconcile the members of the council after visiting them individually. I ensured that peace reigns in Ebonyi IPAC and that's why the council had the peaceful election.

“I also reconciled the aggrieved Ebonyi IPAC members with the national leadership of the council, resulting into unity and peaceful coexistence among all the party actors in the state and at the centre,” he added.