Drama As Aspirants Halt Imo APGA Guber Primary Election

The Imo State gubernatorial primary election of the All Progressives Congress Alliance (APGA) was again deadlocked on Saturday over alleged failure by the National Working Committee of the party to meet legal requirements for the poll.

It was learnt that delegates who had gathered to elect a governorship candidate for the party ahead of the 2019 general elections were asked to go back home around 7:00p.m by the electoral committee in charge of the election.

The development stemmed from a concensus reached by gubernatorial aspirants of the party not to go ahead with the primary election.

The aspirants stated as follows: “That we are all qualified to contest the APGA Governorship primary in 2018

“That we were prepared for credible and fair primary and have done all required from us by APGA constitution and the Electoral Guidelines issued by the party.

“That surprisingly and unexplainably the party is conducting Governorship primary in Imo State in fragrant violation of the clear procedures outlined in its guidelines for primary elections. These violations include that the party abandoned conducting congress for election of Ad Hoc Delegates to vote at the Governorship Primary. Instead the party adopted the so-called ‘harmonization’ which is not known to the party constitution or the electoral guidelines.

“That the party disqualified some aspirants in a manner that did not follow its electoral guidelines, especially without granting them a right of appeal
That contrary to the party constitution and the electoral guidelines there is no list of delegates for the primary as required by the guidelines.

“That any election that is held with delegates that were not elected in a congress as stipulated in the party constitution and the electoral guidelines will be completely illegal and could destroy the party and its electoral fortunes in Imo State

“Therefore, we have resolved that: That the proposed primary election cannot hold as proposed. Stopping the primary is the only way to save our party and the expectations of Imo people for good governance in 2019.

“That the national leadership of our party should fill the nomination for a flag-bearer for APGA for the Imo State Governorship Election in 2019 with the name of National Chairman or any party official outside Imo State who cannot be a Governor of Imo State. The person so nominated will be replaced with one of the aspirants after after due process and consultation with aspirants and party leaders and structures.”

The APGA governorship aspirants who signed the statement are: Ikedia Ohakim, Bight Nane, Ifeanyi Arar ume, Frank Nneji, Sam Amandi, Obi Njoku, Philip Ibe we Ziggy, Daniel Kansas, and Charles Onuoha.