By Deborah Hassan
365Daily -The Chief Victor Oye-led faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has insisted that June 23 Anambra State Governorship primary will go ahead today (Wednesday) despite a communication from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s that it had failed to notify it when it held its ad hoc Delegates Congress to elect delegates for the primary.
APGA said in a statement titled, ‘Anambra State Governorship Primary Holds June 23, Unfailingly,’ signed by the National Publicity Secretary of APGA, Tex Okechukwu, in Abuja, on Tuesday, June 22, that party stakeholders should be notified that it plans to go ahead with the primaries notwithstanding.
It read in part: “We wish to reassure our esteemed party faithful, stakeholders and indeed the general public that our great party is fully prepared to conduct its Governorship Primary Election already slated to hold on 23rd of June 2021.”
INEC, in a letter with reference No: INEC/DEPM/UPPM/1/145, dated June 18, 2021, and signed by the Secretary of the Commission stated that APGA failed to notify the Commission of the ad hoc Delegates’ Congress which the party conducted across the 326 wards in Anambra State on June 15th and 16th, respectively.
However, the party countered the content of the letter, saying in its response: “We wish to state categorically that the above position of the Commission is not in line with the dictates of section 85(1) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended, as well as a plethora of judicial authorities in that regard.
“Our party duly complied with requisite statutory notices envisaged under the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) as well as other requirements clearly outlined by INEC in its Regulations and Guidelines for the conduct of political party primary elections published by INEC.
“In line with the said INEC Regulations and Guidelines, our great party undertook the following procedural steps, to wit;
“Publication of Timetable/Schedule of activities, Statutory Notice of Primary Election dated the 26th of May, 2021 as envisaged under section 85(1) of the Electoral Act, conduct of Ad hoc Delegates’ Election across the 326 wards of Anambra State as envisaged under section 87(7) of the Electoral Act, among others.”