Outrage over NDC primaries in Imo

From Okwe Obi, Abuja

Crisis has rocked the outcome of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) primaries in Imo State, as some aspirants, Charles Onyeagbako, Uche Nwole and Tony Okpe, have claimed that the exercise was hijacked.

Speaking on behalf of the aspirants at a press briefing yesterday in Abuja, Senator Uche Nwole, who is gunning for the Imo East Senatorial District, lamented that the NDC had not submitted the list of its aspirants to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) because of the crisis.

According to him, some party members are blocking aggrieved members from submitting petitions to the national leadership of the party to address their concerns.

“The panel members turned off all their telephone numbers except the LGA Chairmen. The State Chairman was avoided, including all LGA Chairmen, when they wrote the results in Chief Agbaso’s residence at Emekuku, Owerri,” he said.

He asked the party to confirm whether “they have truly sold the party structure of the Imo state chapter to Martin Agbaso, as he claims, which has gone viral on social media confirming his action in these primaries.”

He declared that there was no primary election conducted in Imo State by the panel sent to the state, except the primaries conducted by the Local Government Area chairmen and their executives as instructed by the chairmen of the panel at the party secretariat before their alleged adoption by Martin Agbaso.

“The results of the primaries as conducted by the LGA Chairmen and the executives are available for your kind perusal and guidance. The panel should disregard the purported or forged results of the primaries paraded by the electoral panel, as there was never a primary election conducted by them.

“The party leaders are advised to evaluate the aspirants, consider financial capacity, experience and personal capacity to face the Imo APC government headed by the chairman of the Governor’s Forum.

“We therefore appeal that, in the interest of our party’s success, we urge the leadership to choose wisely or allow the winners of the authentic primaries to fly the flag of the party. With truth and God on our side, we shall prevail,” he added.