…..As INEC rejects APGA’s delegates list
By Gabriel Atumeyi
365Daily – The internal crisis in Anambra State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a higher dimension with Chief Linus Ukachukwu taking over the party structure in the state following a restraining order issued by a Federal High Court sitting in Awka, the Anambra State capital.
Similarly, the ruling party in the state, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), is having its boat rocked as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday, June 21, 2021, faulted the delegates list forwarded to it by the party for failing to give it a 21 days notice of the congress as mandated by the Electoral Act, thereby making it unable to monitor the process.
This means it may not be able to present a candidate for the forthcoming November 6 Governorship election in the state.
The PDP is in a similar position, as with barely 5 days left to determine the its flagbearer in the November election, it may be heading for a Zamfara State situation where the party could not field a candidate in the election due to leadership power tussle.
The High Court order means that INEC not to accept any list from anyone other than the list forwarded to the Commission on May 17, 2021 in response to a suit filed by 3 sacked loyalists of Chief Linus Ukachukwu compelling INEC to forthwith accept and accord official recognition to the officers of the state, LG and ward executives of PDP Anambra State forwarded to the Commission on May 17, 2021.
The 3 loyalists of Ukachukwu who were sacked by the Anambra PDP Chairman, Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu, are Sir Emeka Obi – State Secretary; Mrs Calista Nkiru Adimachukwu – Women Leader and Marcel Jachin Anyam – Zonal Vice Chairman, South.
They were said to have been sacked and replaced for allegedly opposing a plot by Nwobu to impose Dr Obiora Okonkwo as the governorship candidate of PDP.
With this development, only the list forwarded to INEC by Chief Linus Ukachukwu’s faction on May 17, 2021 that will be recognised as delegates for the June 26 PDP primaries and ultimately determine the flagbearer of the party for the November 6 election.
365Daily recalls that a High Court sitting in Abuja on June 10, 2021, sacked Ndubuisi Nwobu-led executives of the party.
The court order returned Ejike Oguebego as the authentic chairman of the party in the state.
Like PDP, like APGA
This is as INEC on Monday faulted the delegates list forwarded to it by APGA, saying it failed to give it a 21 days notice of the congress as mandated by the electoral act, thereby making it unable to monitor the process.
It said it, therefore, cannot accept the delegates list as the the product of a democratic process.
The party had scheduled the primary for Wednesday, June 23, 2021 but with the development, the proposed primary may not receive INEC certification.
The Victor Oye faction that is recognised by INEC had on June 16 forwarded the list of ad-hoc delegates it claimed emerged from its ward congresses to the commission.
In two reply letters by INEC’s Secretary, Rose Oriaran Anthony, one addressed to the National Chairman of the party and the other addressed to the APGA’s lawyer, the Commission called on the party to duly comply and in the second letter said it did not monitor a congress and hence had no monitoring report.
The letter to the National Chairman of APGA read: “Please refer to your letter dated June 16, 2021 forwarding the list of delegates for the nomination of APGA’s Governorship Candidate in the forthcoming Anambra State Governorship Election.
“This is to notify you that the records of the Commission indicates that APGA did not duly 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).
“Accordingly, the Commission is 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).
“The Commission wishes to emphasise the need for full compliance with all legal requirements for the conduct of Party Primaries as earlier communicated in the Commissions letter to your Party dated 37 June 2021 (REF: INEC/DEPM/UPPM/119/1/37).”
In the other letter to the party’s counsel also dated June 18, 2021 the Commission said: “This is to inform you that the commission did not receive the statutory 21 days’ notice for the nomination of APGA Anambra State governorship candidate from Victor Oye led APGA.
“Accordingly, the commission did not monitor the said ward congress and as such, there is no monitoring report of the Commission.”
“The Commission hopes this satisfies the subject of your inquiry under the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.”