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From Fred Itua, Abuja
The Edozie Njoku-led All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has reacted to the swift and timely intervention of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), led by Professor Yakubu Mahmood, over recent intervention in the ongoing continous voters registration.
Njoku who addressed newsmen Abuja on the recent turnout of Nigerians that have shown interest to register and vote in 2023 general eections, said he was full of gratitude to the Commission’s responsiveness to ensure a smooth and seamless registration process.
He said: “Leadership is action, not a position. What the Chairman of INEC has done is unprecedented in the history of preparation for election in Nigeria. It shows how prepared the Commission is towards the 2023 General Elections.
“An institution is tested by its ability to respond to foreseen and unforeseeable circumstances. That the Commission was able to deploy registration machines to the Southeast, Kano and Lagos to contain the upsurge of potential voters is an indication of the strategic plan that Mahmood had put in place at INEC.”
Going forward, Njoku said that “we have concluded our primaries. The last of them was the Presidential Primary which took place on June 3, 2022 at Sheraton Hotels Abuja, where Chief Chekwas Okorie emerged as the party’s presidential flagbearer. We have fulfilled all the requirements and notified the Commission as the law requires. We are waiting for INEC to oblige us the code so that we can upload all our candidates.”
“Recall that the Supreme Court on May 9, 2022 corrected the error in the October 14, 2021 Judgment which it erroneously gave in favour of Ozonkpu Victor Ike Oye; declaring Chief Edozie Njoku as the authentic National Chairman of APGA. Chief Njoku says he is not in a hurry. ‘We have been in Court since 2019. We believe in what the Commission is doing. We know that as soon as they are done with their due diligence, they will respect the Supreme Court Judgement and accord us recognition.
“Whilst waiting for the INEC letter, APGA has been conducting aggressive mobilisation for our people to register and vote in the coming election. We believe that political parties should serve as a platform for people to consummate the Social Contract which rests with citizens seeing the electoral process as a fundamental aspect of national development. Therefore, we plead with INEC to hasten up and obey the Supreme Court Judgment and also to look into the possibility of extending voter registration.”
