The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly to call the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to order over the substitution of its governorship candidate, Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo, for the Anambra State governorship election.
The National Chairman of the APGA, Dr Victor Ike Oye, made the call on Friday in Abuja at a news conference, while reacting to the list of 18 registered parties’ candidates released by INEC for the election slated for November 6 this year.
He said INEC published an aspirant that did not make it through to the primary of APGA and to announce him as the governorship candidate of APGA.
According to him, after its primary election was concluded, the party submitted the particulars of its governorship candidate to INEC on July 2 and was duly acknowledged.
He expressed dismay that INEC is giving credence to someone who is alien to APGA, adding that he had gone to procure a judgement from a Jigawa court to drop Soludo, a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), its governorship candidate.
Oye said there was a subsisting order of the Federal High Court in Awka, Anambra State, directing INEC to maintain the status quo and receive the particulars of Prof. Soludo and his deputy, Dr Onyekachi Ibezim, submitted and publish the same.
“We know that it will not last. We have already appealed against the Jigawa judgement and the court sat on the 14th of this July in Kano.
“To tell you how wicked the impostors are, apart from going to Jigawa to get the bizarre judgement in which my name was not even there, they procure a fake lawyer to represent INEC and APGA.
“They went to court in Jigawa to confuse the judge, pretending that they were the genuine party leaders.
“How can you talk about a change of leadership of APGA with the national chairman who is still alive, and without adhering to the constitution of the party?
“As a law-abiding party, we have appealed against the Jigawa judgement,” Oye said.
“I call on President Buhari and leadership of the National Assembly to call INEC to order.
“The law enforcement agencies should deal with these impostors who are causing confusion in Nigeria political life,” he added.
He said section 31(3) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) states: “The Commission shall within seven days of the receipt of the particulars of candidates, published the same in the constituency where the candidate intends to contest the election.”
He said: “We submitted our particulars of our candidate on July 2, INEC received and acknowledged it the same day. According to the Electoral Act, INEC is supposed to have published the APGA candidate name, seven days after receiving it, which is July 9.
INEC recognises Umeoji
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared a sitting member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Chukwuma Michael Umeoji, as the flagbearer of the APGA in the November 6 Anambra State governorship election.
INEC also named Senator Andy Uba, who won the controversial primaries of All progressives Congress (APC), as the candidate of the party for the November election.
These were contained in the list of candidates for the Anambra State governorship election published by the commission and signed by INEC national commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Festus Okoye, on Friday in Abuja.
The electoral umpire also dropped the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Valentine Ozigbo, leaving the main opposition party’s slot blank.
The commission also named Senator Ifeanyi Patrick Ubah as the candidate of the Young Progressive Party (YPP).
However, Okoye said the decisions were based on the judgments and court orders served on the commission in relation to the primaries of the political parties and other processes leading to the election.
“The commission would continue to act in consonance with the constitution and the law and will continue to obey the judgments and orders of courts served on it,” Okoye said.
According to the list, all the 18 registered political parties would participate in the November poll which has 15 male candidates and two female candidates.
Okoye added that the personal particulars of the candidates would be published in the commission’s notice board in Awka, Anambra State.
Crisis in APGA
Prior to the primary elections, APGA had been rocked by a leadership crisis with two factions laying claims for leadership of the party.
While the Victor Oye-led faction, recognised by INEC, conducted the primaries that produced Prof Soludo; the Jude Okeke faction conducted another primary that declared Umeoji as the party’s candidate.
