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 omission of Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo for the Anambra State governorship election.
The National Chairman of the party, 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.
Recall that the electoral umpire had declared a sitting member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Chukwuma Michael Umeoji, as the flagbearer of APGA.
INEC also named Senator Andy Uba, who won the controversial primary of the All progressives Congress (APC), as the candidate of the party.
The commission disclosed that Senator Ifeanyi Patrick Ubah is the candidate of the Young Progressive Party (YPP).
It, however, omitted the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Valentine Ozigbo, leaving the main opposition party’s slot blank.
In reaction, Oye said INEC published an aspirant that did not make it through to the primary 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 as the party’s 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.”
