My dear Honorable Chairman,
It is about the current conflicting feelers we are getting from your commission. I wish to urge you to stand firm and resist any pressure not to do what is right about who is APGA candidate in the November 6, 2021 Anambra State Governorship Election.
There is no questioning the fact that I remain the only legally, legitimately and constitutionality-recognized national chairman of APGA. Nobody else.
The so-called Jude Okeke has never been our member. I have never even met him. We just saw him on AIT network on July 15, 2021 announcing himself as acting national chairman of APGA in a gathering of misfits and miscreants, which he called NEC meeting. According to Article 13 of APGA Constitution 2019, I am the only person authorised to convene the meeting of NEC, NWC and National Convention. So who authorised the convening of the Jude Okeke meeting of June 15, 2021? INEC should ask salient questions.
To perfect their illegality, they moved to Jigawa to procure a bizarre judgement, which we learned your commission is planning to obey. That would be the height of illegality and injustice. And it will never stand.
And sure you know that the Jigawa Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter that had its origin in Awka. Why did they run to Jigawa instead of Awka? That showed that their motives was flawed.
Everything surrounding Jude Okeke is fake and fraudulent. He came from the blue to make himself acting national chairman. Does Nigeria no longer have laws?
Your commission should stand firm for the truth. We followed laid down procedure to produce our candidate, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo. Your commission invited me to come for the code for uploading of his particulars and that of his deputy, which we duly collected and complied accordingly.
The Jigawa judgement has already been appealed by us. It would be preposterous to give APGA governorship ticket to an impostor. Chukwuma Umeoji was disqualified by our screening committee. Instead of seeking redress in court he resorted to self-help by goading one Jude Okeke to create a non-existent faction. Is it the same man that didn’t follow the guidelines laid down by your commission that will now be a beneficiary of all our years of suffering? We will not allow it to happen.
I urge you to write your name into posterity by doing what is right. We have always known you as a man of impeccable character. And we have never doubted your integrity. This is another chance to convince the world that your commission stands for justice and equability. It will amount to a serious injustice if you should do otherwise in this matter. Take the bull by the horns and do justice and save our democracy and your commission from evil men.
In the worst case scenario, INEC can withhold publication today for the simple and legitimate reasons that (1) there’s a motion for stay of execution of the Jigawa judgment (2) there’s a contrary order of Federal High Court, Awka to for INEC to accept the APGA candidate that emerged from the APGA primary held on June 23, 2021 in Awka. (3) For reason of doubt/confusion arising from the judgments INEC should await the court final decision on the matter.
It is important to draw attention of INEC to the relevant sections of the Electoral Act which it seems to be violating with respect to the publication of Soludo’s particulars.
The Act requires the Commission to publish the particulars of candidates no later than 7 days from date of receipt of the nomination. APGA uploaded Soludo’s nomination and received stamped copy July 2, 2021.
INEC ought to have published it not later than 9th of July. As at 15th July it didn’t. A federal high court at Awka had directed INEC to maintain status quo by publishing Soludo’s name.
But INEC seems also intent on disobeying the order for reasons known to it.
The information available to us is that INEC wants to receive another nomination/submission of particulars for APGA (from persons totally alien to APGA) on 16th July, 2021 and publish same immediately based on a bizarre court judgment in Jigawa.
Deadline for receipt of nominations was 9th July, 2021. If INEC obeyed the Electoral Act Soludo’s name ought to have been published last week. Ditto if it had obeyed the Federal High Court order.
We have taken the pain to elaborate on these possibilities and likely outcomes to guide your commission properly. It would deal a big blow on our democracy if people were allowed to take laws into their hands.
The current procrastination by your commission to do the proper thing is quite disturbing. But we still believe in your capacity and strength of character not to allow anything to dent the image you have spent years to build.
Kindly act swiftly.
God bless APGA!
God bless Nigeria!
Ozonkpu Victor Ike Oye,
National Chairman
