Aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia state, staged a peaceful protest at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, where they demanded the cancellation of the parallel governorship primaries that were held to pick the party’s candidate in the state
The protesters who besieged the APC National Headquarters in the early hours of Friday, demanded for a fresh, Direct and valid guber primaries, even as it called on the leadership of the party to intervene and save the APC from a looking defeat in Abia state in the 2023 general elections
Addressing journalist after the protest, leaders of the group, which described itself as supporters of one of the aspirants, Daniel Eke Support Group, said “it was obvious that the APC governorship primaries conducted in Abia state on Thursday May 26,2022 ended in a quagmire having two aspirants laying claims to the victory of the election.
It would be recalled while Chief Ikechi Emenike was announced as winner of one of the primaries, former minister, .Uche Ogar was also announced as the winner of the election which was held by his own group in Umuahia.
“The electoral committee that came to Abia from the party headquarters conducted the indirect primary election even without notifying Chief Daniel Eke of the time, venue and mode of election, despite that he purchased the APC expression of interest and nomination forms with the whooping sum of 50 million naira and was duly screened by the Party.
“On the same day of the election, around 12 noon, a letter circulated on the social media which was signed by the National Chairman and secretary of the party, notifying the Independent National Electoral Commission that the party has approved direct primary mode for Abia, Benue and Osun, on this premise Dr.Uche Ogar who presumably had the information before the letter circulated told his supporters to go their various wards for the exercise.” Leader of the protesters, Agbaeze Noble Uche Okocha explained
Uche Okocha noted that implications of the scenario that played out on the primaries day is that none of the claimants met with the requirements of law to be pronounced the flag bearer of the party, adding that the two processes cannot pass the test of the extant laws.
Okocha, who is also the spokesperson of the Dan Eke Campaign Organization stated further “the position of our principal Chief Daniel Eke, is that the National Working Committee of the party should fix a new date for the right thing to be done, that is, a direct primary mode, as no delegates elections ever took place in Abia, therefore talking about an indirect primary election is like placing something on nothing and expecting it to stand which can never be,
The NWC should intervene now and fix a new date for the primary, then communicating the date to all the aspirants, and allowing a free and fair election,where all card carrying members of the party shall vote in the various wards, then let a winner emerge in the transparent process, as this will ensure fielding the most acceptable candidate by the party”
He emphasized that all the processes leading to the conduct of the last APC primary election in Abia state did not comply with the positions of Article 20 of the APC Constitution 2022 (As Amended) and were also at variance with section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022.
“Except the APC has chosen not to be on the ballot in Abia or to loose her victory when challenged at the court of law court, the NWC has no choice but to redress the illegality in Abia state. Abia people are yearning for good governance as against what is currently being given by of the the ruling PDP, which has reduced Abia to almost the last rating state in Nigeria, but the APC must first put her house in order to be able to save the situation in the state, ” he warned
