As the Anambra State November 6 governorship election gets closer, the crisis in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is yet to abet as the party is currently working to clear the air on its candidacy for the polls.
21st CENTURY CHRONICLE reports that a certain letter announcing the substitution of Professor Charles Saludo with Chukwuma Umeoji as APGA candidate for the election was in circulation in the state.
This has led to the reaction of the ruling party in the state in which the APGA’s national spokesman Tex Okechukwu to deny the substitution, saying Soludo remains the party’s flag bearer.
According to Okechukwu in a statement late on Friday night, “we wish to state unequivocally that Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo remains the governorship candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for the November 6, 2021 Governorship Election.
“There are three sets of forms issued to every registered political party by INEC for the Anambra State Governorship Election. These forms were EC 9, EC 9B and EC 13B. But in the said fake letter in circulating they claimed to have submitted only Form EC 13B. This is curious!
“These forms were issued to Ozonkpu Dr..Victor Ike Oye by INEC as the national chairman of APGA and he subsequently issued the same to Professor Chukwuma Soludo and his deputy, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim who completed them and returned. The forms were then uploaded to INEC using a special code.
“Let it be known that there was no way INEC would have issued such forms to Chukwuma Umeoji when the matter is still in court.
The statement explained that only Soludo satisfied all the requirements of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), the INEC Election Manual and the 2021 Electoral Guidelines of APGA for the 2021 Anambra State Governorship Election.
“It is also clear that the period permitted by law for the conduct of party primary for the election, downloading, uploading and submission of particulars of the governorship and deputy governorship candidates of political parties ended on July 16, 2021. Anything done thereafter without final judgment of court is null and void and of no consequence.
“Going by the above, it is indisputable that APGA vigorously worked to meet the various timeliness outlined in the laws regulating the conduct of activities of political parties toward the November 6 Anambra State Governorship Election,” the spokesman said.
Okechukwu also said the only National Chairman and National Secretary of APGA recognized by INEC are Dr Victor Ike Oye and Labaran Maku respectively.
