No fewer than 70 political parties in Enugu state on Thursday rejected the call for the removal of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Dr. Emeka Ononamadu from the state.

Chief Afam Ani, the Public Relations Officer of the group, said this at a press conference in Enugu, adding that the parties passed a vote of confidence on the REC.

He noted that the parties, operating under the aegis of the Coalition of Registered Political Parties, agreed that elections must go on in the state on Saturday and the group disapproved of the call by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the removal of the REC and a shift in the election on account of the allegations of bias and compromise against the REC.

He added that the group considered the allegations false and baseless. According to Ani, the group warned political parties not to disrupt the smooth electoral process in the state because of their internal wrangling. “No single party has the power to determine whether an election should hold or not in any state,”  he said, describing Enugu as the most peaceful state in the country.

He also described Ononamadu as the most friendly REC to ever work in the state. “We have witnessed the coming and going of RECs in Enugu state. This one has discharged his duty in line with the provisions of the constitution. He should not be removed because he has not done anything contrary to the provisions of the constitution to warrant his removal. The group insisted that the election must go on as scheduled.”

APC, led by its Chairman, Dr. Ben Nwoye, embarked on a peaceful protest in INEC headquarters, Enugu earlier in the day to demand the postponement of the polls in Enugu state. Nwoye threatened that APC would not allow elections to hold in the date, until their fears had been addressed. (NAN)