The Coalition of United Political Parties, called CUPP, has decided it won’t join any protests or start any court cases against the person in charge of the Abia State Independent Electoral Commission (ABSIEC), Professor George Chima. This is about the local government election happening on November 2.
Two other groups, Action Alliance (AA) and Allied People’s Movement (APM), had asked for Professor Chima to be removed. They wanted everyone to skip the election and suggested a peaceful protest. They also threatened to use the law to stop the election.
These groups are upset because they think the fees to participate are too high and there are other problems too.
But, CUPP, through their members Joseph Ulu and Larry Charles, said they didn’t agree with what AA and APM wanted. They explained this on Saturday, saying that CUPP did not support those ideas. They believe that all political groups have been treated fairly by ABSIEC, so they are confused about why there are calls for protests or removing Professor Chima.
They added that charging fees to run in elections didn’t just start now; it’s been going on for some time. And, in fact, the current fees are lower than they have been before, making it the cheapest time to join in Abia’s local government elections.
The CUPP also said it won’t take part in protests or go to court against ABSIEC. They asked the police to be on the lookout for anyone trying to mess up the peaceful election in Abia State.
The leaders of CUPP warned that if people protest, take legal actions, or skip the elections, it could cause big political problems in Abia.