BY Joe Chukindi, Awka
Voting has commenced at the primary election of the All Progressives Congress to choose a candidate for the March election for Anambra Central senatorial zone.
Already, supporters of Sen Uche Ekwunife are in high hopes that their candidate will wn the primary election, even though she has remained absent all day at the venue of the election.
There have been speculations and counter speculations as to the disqualification of Ekwunife, and latter that the national leadership of the party had instructed the election committee to ensure they returned Mr Sharon Ikeazor, her opponent by affirmation.
Youths of the party had also protested the move to select Ikeazor, with many citing reasons of imposition by the party leadership, without recourse to the grass root members.
Some of the youths who spoke to our correspondent stated their reasons thus,” the only way they can impose Ikeazor on us is if they do not want the growth of the party. Our members have remained very hungry for a long time now, and all we keep getting is imposition of candidates.
“When Ngige was always contesting, we never had anyone to run against him, but, and because of that he never really brought out money, but we had to manage him because he is our leader and has sacrificed for the party. But now that Ngige is not coming out, and a very viable candidate has approached us, we have to give it to her.”
He insisted that Ikeazor will spoil politics for members of the party, which will remove competitiveness from the contest, and bearing in mind that Ikeazor does not even have the financial muscle to run for the election.
Another youth member of the party said, “All these people you see here are waiting for transport money, and we know that if we throw it open there will be competition, but if it is given to one candidate on a platter of gold, he will not value it, and will not even like to spend money.
Meanwhile, the election seems to have run into hitches with the electoral committee refusing to count the votes of the local government that have voted, saying that the ballot boxes should be taken home and brought back the next day for election to commence. Supporters of Uche Ekwuunife have started a strong protest against the move…STAY TUNED.
