New Telegraph

Anambra guber: Crisis in APGA, PDP will give APC victory, says group

…as INEC clarifies letter to APGA

A leading pressure group, APC Patriots, Anambra has charged aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to close ranks in order for the party to win the November 6, 2021 gubernatorial election. Speaking against the backdrop of the intense crisis currently rocking the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDD), the APC Patriots said that the discordant tunes emerging from both parties leaves the state open for APC to take. “Given the procedural imperfections that attended APGA’s screening process, leading to the unfazed disqualification of otherwise qualified aspirants, and the musical chairs trailing the party’s national chairmanship, APGA’s participation in this year’s Anambra governorship election remains a matter of conjecture,” the group said.

“For the PDP, the multiplicity of court injunctions and rulings emerging from the camps of disparate godfathers, and unending disputations over which delegates’ list to work with, has cast the party in legal entanglement that can only be resolved way after the November 6 election,” they added.

The APC Patriots, Anambra, which steering committee consists of the party’s deputy governorship candidate in the 2017 gubernatorial election in the state, Dozie Ikedife, as Coordinator, and parades three former House of Representatives members, Honourables Emeke Nwogbo, Chizor Obidigwe and Afam Ogene; former National Assembly aspirants in 2019, Mike Mbanefo, Ike Chidolue and Chidi Ogbaji; the party’s zonal Youth Leader, Olisaemeka Onyeka and Barrister Chuks Chinwuba, a renowned political strategist, has been in the forefront of ensuring victory for the APC in this year’s gubernatorial election. Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has clarified its letter to APGA, and warned that violation of the law and guidelines for conduct of party primaries could lead to legal tussle.

The Commission had written to the APGA leadership concerning the emergence of ad-hoc delegates who would nominate the party’s governorship candidate. In the letter, which was signed by the Secretary to the Commission, INEC said it was “unable to confirm if the ad hoc delegates list submitted by your party is the outcome of a democratic process as required by Section 87(7) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).” It added that the party failed to “notify the commission of the date of the congress where the ad hoc delegates were elected as required by Section 85 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).”

National Commissioner, Festus Okoye, who also doubles as Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, in a statement Wednesday, said political parties should follow due diligence in nominating candidates for elections. Okoye noted that APGA had written to INEC, proposing June 23 for the conduct of its governorship primary, adding that based on its satisfaction of the 21- day statutory requirement for the holding of its congress, the Commission has concluded arrangements to monitor the congress.

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