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…Reinstated that INEC Never Rejected Rivers State APC Candidates List
The jubilation in the camp of the Senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District, Senator Magnus Abe, has been described as a celebration of infamy, failure and a misplaced excitement.
A chieftain of the party in the State, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, who asserted this in a statement issued and circulated in Port Harcourt on Monday, noted that the reason for the jubilation was premised on an ignorant interpretation of a court injunction, adding that it was also a design of God that the Senator and his media handlers have shown their ill intents for the party in the State.
According to Eze, contrary to the expectations of Abe, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) duly accepted the Rivers State APC candidate’s list as submitted by the party’s National Working Committee of the party.
To buttress the true position of the candidate’s list from Rivers APC as submitted by the NWC of APC, Eze quoted the INEC National Commissioner on Voter Education and Publicity, Festus Okoye, as saying, “as at the time APC submitted the Rivers APC list, INEC has not been served any court order or any judgment barring the party from submitting the list. The APC conducted party primary in the State and the party primary election was monitored by INEC, and at the end of the day, the National Chairman of APC and the National Secretary forwarded the list of candidates that emerged from the primary election of Rivers State APC to INEC, and INEC collected the list as submitted”
The party chieftain further noted that the injunction was in respect of the party’s congresses in the State and had absolutely nothing to do with primaries that produced the candidates for the various Executive and Legislative offices.
“I wonder why Abe and his Media Team would be celebrating a situation that could have meant that the APC might not presenting candidates for the 2019 general elections, if they were genuine APC members”, he said.
He also wondered why even most APC stakeholders and some of her candidates are disturbed with lies and misrepresentation of facts by the propagandists in Abe’s camp.
“Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) stand on our gubernatorial candidate, Arch Tonye Cole, is very clear and unambiguous. According to INEC, Rivers State APC Forms C001 and C002, containing the nominations of our gubernatorial candidate and his Deputy, Chief Victor Giadom have been duly accepted by INEC.
“Should we allow ourselves to be intimidated and coerced by the erroneous and misguided interpretations by Abe and his cohorts? Have Abe and his cohorts become members of the legal team of INEC?
“The issue of Rivers State Chapter of APC presenting or not presenting candidates for the 2019 general elections is not before any Court and with earlier judgments obtained in favour of Abe and his misguided boys were based on false documents and presentations on the Congresses, why should any genuine member of APC be afraid or wonder if our candidates will participate in the 2019 general elections?”, Eze queried.
Eze further highlighted that Abe and his camp are only playing the politics of distraction, to take party’s focus away from its major goal of sacking the Wike administration, thereby achieving his own selfish gains, adding, “but it is too late as Wike himself knows that he will be voted out come 2019, as we can’t continue to tolerate a visionless government like his”.
On the decision of the NWC of APC to conduct fresh Congresses for Rivers State APC, Eze reiterated that there is no cause for alarm “because if the Congresses were conducted hundred times, the mainstream of the party will still form the structure as Abe is only a Media creature and mobiliser of protests.
“Let me further state that the results of the primaries are not in contention and not before any court. The apex court ruling was only on the Congresses and nothing was mentioned on the Primaries because that is not before any court.
“Again, the Primaries had been concluded before the ruling and there was no order of court restraining the party from conducting her primaries. The court can’t recall a process that has been concluded provided or especially when guidelines and laws were followed strictly.
“Three major points can be deduced out of all these: 1. The originating summon of the matter before court is strictly on Congresses (leadership of party). 2. The ruling of the Supreme Court was clear and unambiguous on the issue of congress and not primaries. 3. Actions have been overtaken by events as INEC has been forwarded with the necessary documents that emanated from the concluded primaries conducted by the NWC. Let us remember that the court isn’t a father Christmas as it won’t give you what you didn’t pray for”, Eze assured.
Eze encourages Arch Tonye Cole and all our candidates for the 2019 general elections to move to the field and mobilise the electorates towards voting in President Muhammadu Buhari and all the candidates of the party accordingly and not to be distracted by the antics and pranks of Abe and his misguided cohorts.
“The vision and mission of salvaging Rivers State from the hands of Governor Wike is not negotiable but a task that must be actualised if Rivers State is to move forward”
