Anambra guber: APGA kicks against exclusion of Solido

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) has deplored the decision of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to substitute its duly elected Governorship candidate, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, with someone it described as an impostor.
Addressing a press conference at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja, the party’s National Chairman, Victor Oye, said that some impostors have conspired to cause confusion in APGA and embarrass its leadership using INEC.
He said “There are fillers from INEC that one Jude Okeke and his co travellers want to infiltrate INEC to publish an aspirant that did not make it through to the primary of APGA and to announce him as the governorship candidate of APGA. If that development comes to be true”
Oye said that after its primary election was concluded, the party submitted the particulars of Governorship candidate to INEC on July 2, which he said was duly acknowledged.
He expressed dismay that INEC is giving credence to some persons alien to APGA, who had gone to procure a judgement from a Jigawa Court to drop Prof Soludo whom he said is their Governorship candidate.
Oye said there is a subsisting order of the Federal High Court in Awka directing INEC to maintain the status quo and receive the particulars of Prof. Soludo and his Deputy, Onyekachi Ibezim, submitted by his leadership and published the same.
Speaking on the processes that led to the emergence of Prof. Soludo, the chairman said the party started its governorship primary election by publishing its timetable and followed it through to the primary on June 23 at Awka, Anambra state.
He said “They want to cause confusion in our party because they are afraid that APGA will win again. If anybody is strong politically, he should go to the people to test his strength and not go through the back door.
“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,” he said.
Oye said it is a big embarrassment to Nigeria’s political system and an embarrassment to Nigeria as a nation and its leaders, particularly to the President, Muhammadu Buhari, who is a stickler to the rule of law and equity.
“I use this opportunity to 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’s political life,” he said.