The Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) says it would not feature in the March 6 Delta local government councils poll.
The state ZLP Chairman Emeka Nkwoala disclosed this when he spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Asaba.
“We are boycotting the election because of the imposition of fees and perceived lack of trust on the Delta Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC).
“Local government election in Nigeria has become a mockery of democracy.
“We are not participating in the election as long as its conduct remains in the hands of the state Independent Electoral Commission.
“We at Zenith Labour Party will not participate in the process. We are aware that over N1billion was allocated to DSIEC for the election and yet the commission taxed every candidate between N150 000 and N50 000 depending on the position he is aspiring for,” he said.
Nkwoala said that even feelers from the electorate indicated that the whole process has been compromised.
“I think this is a problem across the country, irrespective of the political party in power.
“The party in power always clears all positions as if other parties do not exist at all.
“This situation has really endangered the trust of people in state electoral bodies.
“We hope that the proposed Electoral Act amendments will cure the trust deficit and increase people’s participation in the grassroots democratic process,” he said.
